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Is perpetual spinach the same as New Zealand spinach? I grew the NZ spinach this year but didn't like it at all. It seemed like wet, slimy velvet after it was cooked. On the packet of seeds it was called NZ spinach and on the same packet it also said perpetual spinach. If it's one and the same, give me chard anytime.

I believe that they are one and the same.
I imagine all spinach goes slimey if cooked too much- I always put in the pan for a few seconds.

Ah, I cooked it for about 10 minutes, wonder if that could be it? Thanks.

- totally different! NZ is a poor substitute for summer spinach? - Tim

PS - later - some of us swear by chard (you've done it?) - much more reliable, substantial and productive - and I bring that up to 5lb in the pressure cooker and then cool as quickly as poss. Stalks and all. Freezes well. And, as I said elsewhere, great blended in a white sauce.

Hi doubledutch,

Bad news - imho, NZ spinach and chard cooked as a substitute for spinach are always a disappointment . . .

Good news? - but only for the cook who knew how s/he wanted the dish to taste!  For those eating the dish, a delicious new flavour, more robust, a bit chewier, and definitely more-ish!

Forget the "spinach subsititute" bit, and enjoy them for themsleves.

All best - Gavin

Ehm Tim? Are you saying that perpetual spinach is NOT the same as NZ spinach?

Hi Ina
My brother lives in NZ.. and grows the NZ spinach as it is less prone to bolting in their climate......and I grow perpetual spinach ....which often goes under the name ...Swiss green chard ( I think )
.......so ...........I reckon Tim's spot on again!!  ;)  ;D

Swiss chard, we love, spinach we do not! Well, actually my slugs prefer my spinach.so have given it up in favour of the chard! Much better taste and texture, and doesn't leave that dry feeling on your teeth.if you know what I mean! ;D We love it curried as "chard" aloo! DP

Yeh!...yummy.......Dottie.....and Bright Lights really are attractive looking plants, and very easy to germinate and grow on.............must be 'cos even I can grow 'em!!  ::)  ;D

Oh no, this is all going wrong. Confusion all around.

I have always grown swiss chard and love it. Nothing to do with spinach.

We love just about any kind of 'greens' so I thought I'd give NZ spinach a try (of course it's not spinach at all, just another type of 'greens'). Didn't like it.

Then I read things about perpetual spinach (not a spinach either) and wonder if it's the same 'greens' as NZ spinach as it gives both names on the same packet.

So, the question is: are there different types of perpetual spinach?

Does anybody have other suggestions for other types of 'greens' (green leafy veggies) to grow?

Ina, in my book it says Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides) are different! Spinach is fast growing but will bolt in hot dry weather, NZ Spinach is more tolerant of hot dry weather, and requires less nitrogen, but does not like frost.........so I am confused too! think perpetual is a chard (Beta Vulgaris)  :)  DP

Oops ..sorry Ina.....better leave it for Tim to sort out!!!!  ;D

Second thoughts..looks like Dottie's got it sorted!!...think that's what I was trying to say Dottie...ta!!  ;D

I'm with you Diane! Where's Tim when we need him???? ;D

Oh No!!!...he's not fallen overboard again!!

Frankly...I think the odd tipple has a lot to do with it!!  ;)   ;)  ;D  ;D

I  beg your pardon ?

What I'm trying to say is that 'spinach' is (for us) a pain to grow - comparatively unproductive, quick to seed and un-hardy.

For us, chard - of any sort, is just the opposite. And whereas it may not really substitute for spinach in things like stir-fries or salads, it's always there.

What I regard as 'perpetual' spinach, right or wrong, is 'spinach beet'. This is not the same as 'new zealand spinach'!

Let's get out of here!!- Tim

move over, Tim, your bolt-hole's getting a bit crowded...second thoughts, tho... ;)

My 'perpetual spinach' is 'spinach beet' and if that is good enough for Mr. Thomson, and good enough for Mr. Morgan, and good enough for Ower Tim, then...

it's good enough for me :D
I'm with Gavin, tho, that spinach is spinach and the other things are other things.. ???  Love spinach, but poor success...low crops & quick to bolt..tried 'Dominant' last year, but no great cop..  fortunately my local Asian grocer buys in great spinach but yes, it would be good to be able to grow it.

Ien, if you cooked your perpetual for ten minutes, no wonder it was slimy & horrid..I get my big wide-based lidded pasta pan, just cover the bottom of it with water to stop  burning, then bung in all the washed undrained leaves. Heat up high, lid on (but off, like, as you turn them) and they take...what? well, 3 minutes has got to be max. Drain really well and then the fun part begins..Heat some good quality olive oil, add lots of crushed home grown garlic & chillies & toss the leaves in it. Salt. And then squeeze lemon over & twirl it round your fork like spaghetti... 8)

PS..that may have sorted NZ spinach, perpetual spinach and spinach, but...what about swedes and turnips??  I think that the orange one is a swede and the white one is a turnip and, besides, they've got different shapes, but a friend calls them something different..

I`m afraid, Lishka, that you can`t differentiate between turnips and swedes simply on colour. In my comparative youth I used to grow a turnip called Orange Jelly, which had orange coloured flesh, and Golden Ball, a variation of Snowball, and both were rather better flavoured than the whites.

I think you will find that, essentially, the only difference between the two is that until recent times swedes were mainly grown agriculturally as cattle feed, and were therefore cultivated for size and quantity as a single crop, while turnips were mainly used domestically and tended to be bred for quality and flavour and for staggered cropping. These distinctions (except the staggered cropping)  have now largely disappeared and (to my mind) the flavour of the better swedes is better than that of turnips

- and what is nicer than a rough mash of swede, carrot and parsnip -  with LOTS of butter and pepper? - Tim

A fine mash of potato and swede with a taste of horseradish mixed in surrounded by several thick pork sausages swimming in rich gravy, and a pile of pickled red cabbage on top.

"- and what is nicer than a rough mash of swede, carrot and parsnip -  with LOTS of butter and pepper? - Tim"

A second helping :)

Or a third  :) :) :)

Improved with a good haggis, and associated liquid trimmings, but not necessary.

All best - Gavin