Store spinach in a warmer part of the refrigerator and use it within a few days of receiving it. If you’re not going to use it right away, freeze it for use later in the winter when your immune system needs a boost!
Spinach is a crop that grows best in moderate temperatures, thus it does well in the spring and fall. We take a break from planting spinach during the heat of the summer because the soil is too hot to germinate the seeds.
Spinach leaves are sturdy enough to dress with a thick, creamy dressing (such as the Buttermilk Ramp Dressing in this week’s newsletter). Spinach leaves may also be dressed with a lighter vinaigrette as well or just a simple drizzle of a flavorful oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Spinach salads can be garnished with a wide variety of ingredients including toasted or candied nuts, hard-boiled eggs, croutons, sunflower seeds, lemon zest, crumbled blue cheese or feta cheese, olives, dried fruit, crumbled bacon or chunks of fried tofu. If you are using cooked spinach, you can simply wilt it down in a sauté pan with a little bit of moisture. Be careful not to overcook it or you will lose the bright green color. Once it is wilted down, you can eat it as is or use it as an ingredient in other recipes. Some common uses for spinach include the Greek Spinach pie called spanakopita, Chicken Florentine, and Spinach Calzones.
Spinach pairs well with many other ingredients including bacon, butter, cheese, cream, eggs, chives, cumin, curry, ginger, horseradish, lemon, mint, mushrooms, nutmeg, nuts (especially almonds and walnuts), oranges, onions, olives, raisins, sour cream, tomatoes, flavored vinegars.
Additional Fun Facts: Overwintered spinach is a way we can extend our season to have fresh greens early in the spring. We plant the spinach in the fall and in the spring it pushes out new growth. This is some of the best spinach of the entire year and is different than the other spinach that we plant in the spring and early fall. It’s the same seed, but something happens within the plant over the winter to allow it to adapt to the winter environment. The result is sweet tasting spinach in the spring with thick, yet tender and flavorful leaves.
