Nutritional value
Spinach is an exceptionally nutritious vegetable with a range of nutrients, notably the ACE vitamins which provide valuable anti-oxidants and the powerful caretenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. However, it is not the huge source of iron that Popeye would have us believe, as a once misplaced decimal point in official charts multiplied the amount of iron by 10 per cent. Also, the oxalic acid in spinach stops us absorbing much of the iron - and of the calcium too.
Using spinach
* Wash spinach thoroughly in three changes of water and check for any remaining grit or soil (especially on the stalks).
* Young leaves taste comparatively mild and can be used raw, roughly torn, in salads, or with bread and Cheddar cheese. Watercress, another nutritious, dark green leafy plant, can be used the same way.
* To cook: Shake the washed spinach, then stew very slowly, covered, in just the water clinging to the leaves. Chop up any thick stalks and put in the pan first. Cook lightly, then stir in butter and nutmeg.
* Sweeten spinach with drops of balsamic vinegar, or mix in currants.
* Use in stir-fries, lasagne and pizzas.
* Homegrown spinach tastes milder and is easy. In spring, sow seeds of 'perpetual spinach' or 'spinach beet'. In six to eight weeks some leaves should be 15cm (6in) long and ready to cut. Harvest the larger leaves throughout the summer. Leave the plants over winter, then continue harvesting leaves again the next spring. You could leave one or two plants to grow tall, flower and seed, showing the whole life cycle. You can plant these new seeds, but spinach often seeds itself.
* Chard tastes sweeter than spinach and can be used the same way. It's also easy to grow. For a dramatic display, choose kinds with crimson, yellow and orange stalks.
There are many more ideas in Mary Whiting's 'Dump the Junk!' (Moonscape, Pounds 7.99)