Spinach
- Spinach belongs to the goosefoot family along with beets and Swiss chard.
- Fresh spinach is available year-round.
- Spinach grows quickly. It can be harvested and eaten after only 37 to 45 days!
- There are many varieties of spinach, though they mostly fall into three distinct groups:Savoy (Dark green, crinkly and curly leaves. Commonly found in supermarkets.) Flat/smooth leaf spinach (Most commonly used for canned and processed spinach products, though "baby spinach" also fits in this group. Easier to wash and clean than Savoy.) Semi-savoy (Hybrid variety with slightly crinkled leaves. It has the same texture as savoy, but it is not as difficult to clean.
- California and Texas produce the most spinach in the United States.
- Spinach likes to grow best during the cool winter months.
- The whole spinach plant is picked during harvesting.
- Spinach is an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals, especially folic acid.
- Spinach is best eaten fresh. It loses nutritional properties with each passing day. Although refrigeration slows the deterioration, half of the major nutrients are lost by the eighth day after harvest.
- Cooked or raw? Both have their advantages. Whereas cooking reduces Vitamin C and folate levels, it simultaneously boosts beta-carotein and lutein bioavailability. A sensible idea is to have it both ways.
- Spinach leaves are a mild diuretic and mild laxative.
- Medieval artists extracted green pigment from spinach to use as an ink or paint.