Be-leaf in Spinach
Be-leaf in Spinach
Spinach is a leafy green vegetable that historians believe to have originated in Persia approximately two thousands years ago. Belonging to the amaranth family, spinach is closely related to beets and swiss chard. Spinach is experiencing it’s renaissance as a powerhouse vegetable for it’s availability, nutritional value, and versatility in cooking. Spinach is a cool… Read More »
Spinach is a leafy green vegetable that historians believe to have originated in Persia approximately two thousands years ago. Belonging to the amaranth family, spinach is closely related to beets and swiss chard. Spinach is experiencing it’s renaissance as a powerhouse vegetable for it’s availability, nutritional value, and versatility in cooking.
Spinach is a cool weather crop and available all year round, however, in season in New Jersey April through November. We have numerous spinach crop plantings on our farm for harvesting in early spring to include in our community supported agriculture weekly fresh picked boxes of produce, and we utilize our high tunnels to be able to plant & harvest spinach again in late fall. Some researchers have suggested that each American consumes an average of 3 pounds of spinach per year and that New Jersey may rank 3rd in the nation for its production of spinach.
Considered a great source of nutrition, this healthy leafy green is said to be loaded with nutrients and antioxidants. Leading health experts believe that eating spinach is good for overall health and specifically beneficial for eye health, supercharging your immune system and more. Spinach is said to contain vitamins A, B, C, K & E along with calcium, iron and magnesium.
There are three main varieties of spinach with the flat leaf variety being the most popular and recognizable by their smooth leaves shaped like tear drops. Savoy and Semi-Savoy are the other two types and are distinguished by their wrinkly and more intense flavor. Adding spinach to any of your favorite recipes is a great way to power up the nutrition in your diet. Here are some ways to easily incorporate spinach into your diet without much planning; use as a topping for pizza, add to stuffing’s, soups, & stir fries, toss into skillet, casserole and dip recipes with ease, compliment egg & pasta dishes by tossing in some spinach, add nutritional crunch to salads by replacing spinach for lettuce, and try blending spinach into smoothies for a boost of extra vitamins and minerals.
Check out this delicious idea for dinner utilizing the powerhouse veggie, spinach, by clicking here.
Best wishes from our farm kitchen to yours!
