Hmm, I've not had allergic reactions to Chaya, yet, but Mangos, Barbados Cherries, and Florida Holly cause me itchies from mild to severe. I do believe you, as that white sap can cause irritation.

Do you have the Chaya with wide leaves (3 to 5 lobes) or the multilobed, lacey, delicate-looking one that reminds folks of Pot plants? I've not noticed stinging hairs with any of them.

Chaya is great for making wraps, or as a spinach substitute. It lowers blood sugar, for those who are diabetic. I think it does retain more firmness than other greens. I chopped mine way back after the freeze, so have not cooked it in a while. It is now 7' tall and at least 6' wide, so I will start using it again.

It tastes a bit more bitter than spinach, but much milder than collards or kale. Collards and Kale are usually cooked for many hours. I suspect that woyld help Chaya be more tender as well.

Glad to hear that you enjoyed it!!

Lisa

Lisa, I have both plants. I figure I'll try rolling the wide ones next like grape leaves. I'll use ground lamb and rice for filling. The leaves in the calzone were the lacey ones. They seem to take on the flavors you cook them with.
Not bad at all.
The butterflies like the flowers, too!

Yes, they have to be cooked a long time to make them tender. I always try to use the newer, tenderer leaves, as the older ones never seem to get tender when you cook them. The tips can be cooked as well, and are very tasty, sort of an asparagus taste. What I do with the older leaves is strip the leaves from the veins as much as possible, and chop them and mix with other greens to cook.

BTW, there are two kinds of Chaya, one with the hairs and one without.

I'm confused about this so bear with me. If it had stinging hairs, where would they be? On the plant or on the leaves? Are they visable?
It seems silly to use gloves for harvesting(as recommended)when I'm pulling on the leaves all the time to smell the flowers. I probably had a reaction to the sap as Lisa suggested.