Chaya is known as the Maya Miracle Tree!
What is Chaya? Here is the definition from Wikipedia:
"Cnidoscolus aconitifolius, commonly known as chaya or tree spinach, is a large, fast-growing leafy perennial shrub that is believed to have originated in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico.[3] The specific epithet, aconitifolius, means "Aconitum-like leaves". It has succulent stems which exude a milky sap when cut. It can grow to be 6 meters tall, but is usually pruned to about 2 m for easier leaf harvest. It is a popular leaf vegetable in Mexican and Central American cuisines, similar to spinach. The leaves should be cooked before being eaten, as the raw leaves contain a high content of toxic hydrocyanic acid. Up to 5 raw leaves can be eaten a day. To be safely eaten, the required cooking time is 5-15 minutes"
For me it is a wonderful shrub that keeps giving me leafy greens year after year. We have cooked the leaves to put in soups and also cooked and dried them to make powder. How do YOU eat Chaya?
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I love to use the leaves of this plant to make a spice powder for the pantry. The leaves are boiled for at least 5 minutes, drained, blended to a pulp, then dehydrated. Once the leaves are dehydrated they are placed back in the blender to turn into a fine powder. The powder is stored in glass containers in the pantry. There are lots of vitamins and minerals in this powder. It is added to foods like a spice. The flavor is very mild so without changing the taste of your food you can add loads of nutrition to every meal.
I have a Chaya cutting growing in a pot on the front porch. So far it has only 4 leaves, but it is less than a month old. When it gets bigger I will transplant outside and enjoy the leaves when the tree is big enough to harvest.
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What does chaya taste like? Does it have medicinal properties? Followed and upvoted. Great post.
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When cooked and eaten like Spinach... it tastes similar to Spinach. Once I turn it into a powder the flavor is quite mild. I like to put it in soups or sprinkle it on my kid's quesadillas for extra vitamins and minerals. There are a lot of sites and stories that claim wild health benefits. I've read some reports that it is 2 to 3 times more nutrient dense than Spinach and other dark leafy greens.
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Thanks for the info. I think we're going to try to grow some.
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I came across one of these trees on a walk. Adding it to my garden wishlist.
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They propagate very easily by cuttings! If you have a Chaya plant nearby ask the owner if you can cut some branches off for your garden :)
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That's great news
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I am interested in growing /using this plant!
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