Loaded with fiber and vitamin K, spinach is a great source of calcium, iron, magnesium, and manganese. Thanks to its high folate content, it helps improve memory and cognitive function. Give your eyesight a boost with a healthy dose of vitamin A, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, and carotenoids.
It also helps combat cancer due to a high level of the phytochemical glycolipids. In studies it has been shown to reduce the risk of liver, gallbladder, colon, breast, cervical, and prostate cancers, and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
One key to reaping the maximum benefit to all these nutrients is to buy it fresh - traveling spinach loses its nutrients. Packed in a plastic bag and refrigerated it'll usually last about 3 days. If you don't have access to fresh, flash frozen spinach generally retains its nutritive value fairly well.
Better yet, plant some in your backyard, rooftop or terrace now! One trend we're seeing this year is the exponential rise in vegetable gardening. From restaurants to window sills, people have taken the notion of being a Localvore (100 mile diet) to heart. And with the frosty weather lifting off most of the US right now, spinach is one of the first go-to crops we should think of.
Last year I was still getting soil settled in my garden so I missed out on this early veggie and was quite bummed. So this year we're going to get at it early and plant some lovely spinach, right from the seed packet in the ground.
According to the Reader's Digest all new Illustrated Guide to Gardening, the first step is to prepare the beds with some compost (our horses make it by the wheelbarrow for us, but you can get great compost from your local garden supply). We're putting our spinach in the ground as mentioned, but it will happily grow in a wine barrel or other fairly deep container really well. The book also recommends a few handfuls of Fish Meal.
Then create furrows about 1/2 inch deep, with rows spaced about 15 inches apart. Spinach matures quickly (about 45 days) and bolts right up, so Reader's Digest recommends planting short rows and to make successive sowings every 10 days until daytime temps are about 10 degrees F. When the seeds start to pop, thin them to just one every three inches. When leaves touch, pull up every other plant and have a lovely salad. The final crop should have plants about 10 inches apart.
When plants are about 7 inches tall, water with fish fertilizer and weed regularly. Take the plants out when buds form.
Popular types of spinach are Bloomsdale Longstanding, America, and Melody. Hot weather version are Malabar and New Zealand.
