Article on Spinach

Day 19
12 Recipes
2 Projects in Progress
1 Restaurant Review
1 Ingredient Article

    I been wanting to learn a little more about the food I eat then just cooking with it. So once or twice a week I plan on giving a break to cooking and focus on researching and learning about different ingredients. I am focusing on spinach this time as its a ingredient I use quite often. 

Spinach 

History

Spinach was first referenced in persia about 226-640 A.D. and was first documented in 647 A.D. as it was introduced to China from Nepal. It was called and still referred to as the "Persian Green." By the 13th century spinach was used throughout the Mediterranean, by the 15th century it had become a major part of the diet in Mediterranean countries. It picked up its popularity quickly due to it being harvested in early spring when many other vegetables where hard to come by.
     
     Varieties
 Spinach comes in 3 variety Savoy, Semi-Savoy and Flat Leafed. Spinach true name is (spinacea oleracia) and grows best in the cooler temperatures of spring and fall, some varieties can extend into the summer and winter seasons.

Savoy Spinach grows quickly and can take cold better than most types. It has very crinkled leaves that makes cleaning the leaves difficult. A couple types of savoy spinach are Regiment and Bloomsdale.

Semi-Savoy Spinach are usually the best choice to grow at home they have a better disease resistance, the leaves are less crinkly, therefor wash better. The three types of

Semi-Savoy Spinach are Tyee, Catalina, and Teton.

Smooth-Leaf Spinach are the most popular for processed spinach for there flat leaves are easier to clean. The types of smooth-leafed spinach are Space, and Red Cardinal.

     Buying, Storing and Preparing Spinach
When your buying spinach look for crisp, Fresh and green leaves. Try to avoid any spinach that looks like it has insect damage or wilting. Best time to buy is in Spring, Summer and Fall.

You can store spinach by loosely wrapping it is a damp paper towel and placing in fridge for up to 5 days.
There are countless ways to preparing spinach, before you start any of them you should wash the leaves under cold water and remove any excess moisture before serving or cooking.

Nutrition

Spinach is low in saturated fats and cholesterol. It is a great source for niacin, Zinc, Dietary Fiber, Protein along with vitamins A, C, E, K and B6, Spinach is also is a very good source for calcium, Iron Magnesium and Potassium. The only down fall is it is High in Sodium.

A few fun facts about spinach

1. It grows very quickly, it can be harvested and eaten within 37 to 45 days.
2. California and Texas produce the most spinach in the United States.
3. Popeye was created do to a German scientist misplacing a decimal point in the spinach's iron content making it 10 times higher than it should have been. The mistake was not found for 60 years.

Ref:
http://www.grow-it-organically.com/spinach-varieties.html
http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/food/entries/display.php/id/15/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinach
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/perfect_prod_detail.asp?ppid=89
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2626/2






If you have any questions or would like to give me your input please share it in the comments bellow.