{"id":327,"date":"2022-09-08T12:51:07","date_gmt":"2022-09-08T12:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/?post_type=product&p=327"},"modified":"2025-08-03T21:23:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T21:23:14","slug":"warrigal-greens","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/product\/warrigal-greens\/","title":{"rendered":"Warrigal greens"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Botanical Name:<\/strong>\u00a0Tetragonia tetragonioides<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Some other names:<\/strong>\u00a0NZ spinach, Sea spinach, Botany Bay spinach, Cook\u2019s cabbage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

How to Grow It<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

Warrigal greens is a low-growing perennial<\/b> that forms a spreading mat up to 2m wide and around 20\u201330cm tall<\/b>. Its fleshy, triangular leaves and trailing stems make it look like a groundcover, but don\u2019t let that fool you \u2013 this plant is a powerhouse producer of edible greens.<\/p>\r\n

Climate:<\/b> Loves subtropical and temperate climates<\/b> and will grow year-round in frost-free areas. In cooler zones, it can be treated as a self-seeding annual<\/b> \u2013 just let it flower and drop seed, and it will pop up again in spring.
Sun:<\/b> Handles full sun or part shade equally well<\/b> \u2013 in fact, I like to have it in both so there\u2019s always tender leaves somewhere.
Water:<\/b> Drought-tolerant once established, but grows juicier leaves with regular watering. Handles boggy patches surprisingly well too.
Salt tolerance:<\/b> Exceptional \u2013 it naturally grows on sand dunes and salty soil<\/b>. If you live near the coast, this is one of the few greens that will thrive.
Best planting time:<\/b> Spring is ideal in cooler climates; in warm regions you can plant any time of year<\/b>.
Propagation:<\/b> Foolproof. Just pull up a bit of plant, roots and all, plonk it in its new home, water it in, and it will take off. It also sets seed easily and will self-sow<\/b> if you let it.<\/p>\r\n

Pot growing?<\/b> Absolutely \u2013 just prune it regularly to keep it from draping over and dropping seed into other pots.<\/p>\r\n

Garden tip:<\/b> If it gets too happy, it can become a bit invasive \u2013 but it\u2019s very easy to pull out and redirect, so don\u2019t be afraid to let it run a little wild.

<\/p>\r\n

Herbal & Nutrient Value<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

Warrigal greens isn\u2019t just tough \u2013 it\u2019s nutrient-packed<\/b> too.<\/p>\r\n

    \r\n
  • Nutrients:<\/b> Rich in vitamins A, B, and C<\/b>, plus calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus<\/b> \u2013 all important for bones, immunity, and overall vitality. It also has a decent amount of protein for a leafy green<\/b>, which is rare.<\/li>\r\n
  • Traditional uses:<\/b> Indigenous Australians ate Warrigal greens long before Captain Cook\u2019s crew used it to ward off scurvy.<\/li>\r\n
  • Health note:<\/b> The leaves are high in oxalates<\/b> (like spinach and silverbeet), which means it\u2019s best to blanch them if you\u2019re eating them in large amounts. This washes away most of the oxalates and makes them safe for regular use.

    <\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

    Traditional & Home Remedies

    <\/strong>Blanched leaves<\/strong> used in compresses for minor burns and skin irritations<\/strong>.
    Leaf decoction<\/strong> historically used as a mild laxative tea<\/strong> (not commonly recommended now due to oxalates).

    <\/p>\r\n

    Using It in the Kitchen<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

    Warrigal greens has a mild, slightly salty, spinach-like flavour<\/b> and a soft, fleshy texture when cooked.<\/p>\r\n

      \r\n
    • Blanching:<\/b> To be safe, blanch the leaves for 1\u20132 minutes, then rinse in cold water. After that, you can use them like any spinach.<\/li>\r\n
    • Eating raw?<\/b> A few leaves raw in a mixed salad is fine, but if you want to eat lots of it, blanch first.<\/li>\r\n
    • Cooking:<\/b> It wilts quickly, so throw it into stir-fries, omelettes, soups, curries or casseroles<\/b> right at the end of cooking for a pop of green.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

      Storage tip:<\/b> Harvest as needed \u2013 it keeps best on the plant<\/b>. If you do pick extra, store in the fridge wrapped in a damp cloth or paper towel for a few days.

      <\/p>\r\n

      Simple recipe ideas<\/b><\/p>\r\n

      – Garlic & Butter Wilted Warrigal Greens:<\/b> Blanch, then saut\u00e9 briefly with garlic and butter \u2013 instant side dish.
      – Warrigal & Feta Omelette:<\/b> Toss blanched leaves into an omelette with feta and tomato for a quick breakfast.
      – Bush Tucker Stir Fry:<\/b> Add Warrigal greens at the very end of a stir fry for a glossy, spinachy finish.
      – Green Soup Booster:<\/b> Blend blanched leaves into pumpkin or potato soup for extra colour and nutrition.
      – Warrigal Spanakopita:<\/b> Use Warrigal greens instead of spinach in a Greek-style pie \u2013 they hold up beautifully.

      <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

      \"\"\r\n
      Warrigal greens – should be cooked first

      <\/em><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

      Other Uses<\/b><\/h3>\r\n
        \r\n
      • Groundcover:<\/b> Warrigal greens forms a living mulch<\/b>, suppressing weeds and cooling soil.<\/li>\r\n
      • Coastal revegetation:<\/b> Its salt tolerance makes it useful for stabilising sand dunes<\/b> and tough patches of soil.<\/li>\r\n
      • Animal fodder:<\/b> Chickens and ducks love the trimmings.

        <\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

        Why it\u2019s a survival plant:<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\r\n

        Warrigal greens will grow where almost nothing else will<\/b> \u2013 in salty soil, blazing heat, or with very little water. It keeps producing leaves all summer, just when most greens have bolted to seed or died off.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Warrigal greens is a tough-as-boots native \u201cspinach\u201d plant<\/b> that thrives in salty coastal soils, hot weather, and general neglect. It\u2019s a true survival garden staple<\/b>, providing fresh, nutritious greens even in the harshest summer when other spinach plants have given up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":197,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":100,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[39,41,45,46],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-327","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-drought-resistant-plants","7":"product_cat-mulch-plants","8":"product_cat-soups-and-curries","9":"product_cat-stir-fry-plants","11":"first","12":"instock","13":"shipping-taxable","14":"product-type-simple"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=327"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=327"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}