#efoshoko

Efo Shoko (Lagos Spinach) is back in stock! Grown by our coworker Zainab Muhammad @ainbaz and other members of the @pentridgegarden on Southwest Philly for the African Diaspora collection of our Truelove Seeds catalog. Here’s the description and story: Efo Shoko (sometimes called Lagos Spinach or Nigerian Spinach) is a type of Celosia eaten in soups, stews, and side dishes in parts of Nigeria, Benin, Congo, and Cameroon, as well as in Indonesia and India. Shoko leaves can be all green or more colorful, like this particular strain, and are harvested along with the young stems and flower spikes. A member of the Amaranth family, it is believed to be native to Africa and is easy to grow in climates with suitable soil moisture, attracting few pests or diseases and thriving in heat, unlike many other common greens. Our seeds originally come from a local farmer friend who grows Shoko for a Liberian customer. #efoshoko #lagosspinach #nigerianspinach #liberianspinach #celosia (at Pentridge Children's Garden) https://www.instagram.com/seedkeeping/p/CZCvcV7OyfG/?utm_medium=tumblr

We have been getting many messages from home gardeners and farmers in the US and Canada who are from Nigeria and who are missing the fresh vegetables of their yards and kitchens back home. Well, we finally have Efo Shoko seeds in the catalog, thanks to a local farmer friend named Dylan DeVlieger who shared this seed with us last year. He grows this variety for one particular farmers market customer from Liberia. We grew it in our high tunnel this year and LOVED it. It’s rising the ranks in our household as one of our top ten favorite greens :) Super excited to provide this seed, especially for diasporic communities longing for their tastes and nourishment of home. Here’s our description: Efo Shoko (sometimes called Lagos Spinach or Nigerian Spinach) is a type of Celosia eaten in soups, stews, and side dishes in parts of Nigeria, Benin, Congo, and Cameroon, as well as in Indonesia and India. Shoko leaves can be all green or more colorful, like this particular strain, and are harvested along with the young stems and flower spikes. A member of the Amaranth family, it is believed to be native to Africa and is easy to grow in climates with suitable soil moisture, attracting few pests or diseases and thriving in heat, unlike many other common greens. #seedkeeping #efoshoko #celosia #shoko #lagosspinach #nigerianspinach :) I certainly can’t speak for #mypartnerchris who is passionate about his greens but this is my guess at our current top favorite cooking greens, not necessarily in this order, but mostly: Turnip Greens Mustard Greens Callaloo (Amaranth) Sweet Potato Greens Molokhia Efo Shoko Spinach Cabbage Collards Malabar Spinach Water Spinach Purslane Cassava Kale https://www.instagram.com/p/CLGL37ogJMp/?igshid=ju0do0p4w0x7