Spinach
In Illinois, spinach is grown outdoors in the cooler weather of early spring and fall but can also be found in hoop houses during the winter months. Once the weather warms up, the spinach begins to bolt. I eat a lot of leafy greens for the iron content and for many of the other nutrients. Spinach is great freshly plucked and used as a salad base but it is also versatile enough to be found in many cooked dishes. To keep the nutrients in tact, I often toss spinach with freshly cooked pasta to wilt it just slightly.
If you wish to perserve spinach longer, the best method is to freeze from the freshest spinach. This is done by blanching the greens for 2 minutes, followed immediately by an ice bath. From there, the greens can be toss in a ziplock bag and in to the freezer for hopefully up to a year (if they actually last that long.)
My Recipes with Spinach:
Recipes from Around the Web:
- Spinach and Soba Noodle Soup from Love and Lemons
- Orechiette with Spinach and Gorgonzola Sauce from Cookie and Kate
- Coconut Quinoa and Spinach Salad from Sprouted Kitchen
- Saag Paneer from 101 Cookbooks
- Italian Spinach and Egg “Stracciatella” Soup from A Couple Cooks
- Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Closet Cooking
- Spinach Strawberry & Radish Salad from Good Things Grow
- Lemon Mushroom Spinach Soup from The Vanilla Bean Blog
- Spinach and Gruyere Quiche form Once Upon a Chef
