Molokia

MOLOKIA Annual ~ with a history dating back to the Pharaohs Molokia will give you a tasty crop of leaves starting from 8 weeks from planting and then right through to the first frosts.  For cooking or salad use. 100 seeds

SOW: from MID-SPRING to MID-SUMMER, Molokia likes warm weather. Before sowing, the Molokia seeds need waking up! To do this, soak the seeds in hand-hot water for a few seconds. Then, soak them in room temperature water overnight. Once the soaking is complete, you can sow the seeds: sow a few seeds in each module or compostable pot and put on a sunny windowsill, in a cold frame or greenhouse. The seeds germinate very quickly, usually within 2 or 3 days. Thin to one plant per pot after 2 weeks.

GROW: once they have 5-7 leaves transplant carefully and space at 35-40cm apart (or 3 plants per container) and grow them in a sunny place. These are fast growing, and you can trim leaves after 6-8 weeks or so. They like a rich soil, and steady watering – not too much but they also dislike drought!   Plants will grow in a shrubby way and in warm climates can reach well over 1.5m so trim to keep small.  Prune the top couple of inches off each stem once the plant reaches 30cm in height. The leaves and stems that are removed can be enjoyed either raw or cooked. The more you cut the stems, the bushier it will grow. In autumn plants can produce small, yellow flowers. Followed by thin elongated seed pods. These pods are also edible

EAT & ENJOY: We think cooking them is the best way to enjoy them. Cooked leaves have a pleasant savory taste, with a distinctive aroma similar to coriander and even garlic. Try using them in the traditional Egyptian molokhia stew, paired with some lamb or fish. For a spicy twist, use the leaves in a Levantine-style soup, along with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and chili peppers.  Don’t forget to try the seed pods: harvest and use in the same way as okra. Molokia leaves can be eaten raw, although they tend to have a sharper almost bitter taste – mix them with a range of other salad leaves to add piquancy. Molokia leaves can also be dried and used to make tea or turned into a powder and used in cooking. Molokia greens are a staple ingredient in several African cuisines. They are full of nutrients & antioxidants, a great source of calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamins A, C, and the vitamin B complex. With thousands of years of history behind them some bright spark has now called them a “new” superfood!