Good-king Henry (Chenopodium bonus-henricus), a relative of the famous kale, is easier to grow than its annual cousin, cultivated spinach. Its perennial substitute, it also allows for an even earlier harvest. Its automatic return in spring, no matter your schedule, ensures that the rustic feast will be present until late in the fall. Exceptionally nutritious in minerals, vitamins and proteins, at each visit, it offers us something to eat: its leaves, its floral stems in curved and pointed spikes, which we eat like asparagus, and finally its seeds, which are similar to a small quinoa. Quite unlike spinach, its bolting does not spoil the harvest and although it does not meet the criteria of the usual ornamental selections, it does not scare anyone, being part of haute cuisine!

Good-king Henry Goosefoot had its heyday as a vegetable in Europe during the Renaissance, before being relegated to the title of poor man’s spinach, and is now destined for another revered renaissance on the throne of permaculture.

Warning: the plant must undergo complete cooking to destroy the saponin and reduce the presence of oxalic acid, which nevertheless grows with restraint, especially those who have had kidney stones. Kept on the stems, in an airtight container, they will keep for a long time in a cool place.

The only requirement: that it be provided with very fresh soil enriched with nitrogen. Its taproot complicates its cultivation in pots, which is why it is available to order.