In Season: Spinach
“Ask any farmer around, and they’ll tell you that the absolute best, sweetest spinach comes in February,” farmer Neil Taylor says.
Just as collards are sweetened by a bit of frost, spinach benefits from cold weather, too. Overwintered spinach, sown in the autumn and harvested just as the days start to warm, is tender and sweet. “It’s a mighty fine-tasting spinach,” said Taylor, who’s been growing it this way for about 10 years.
Young spinach is not damaged by freezing temperatures or snow; in fact, some varieties even tolerate New England’s winters. The trick is to start it six to eight weeks before the first hard frost.
Taylor has just started harvesting his overwintered field spinach, which he sells through the year-round TaylOrganic community-supported agriculture (taylorganic.blogspot.com) and through the weekly market at atlanta.locallygrown.net. The harvest will continue through March, he said.
You can also find fresh local spinach at the year-round Morningside Farmers Market on Saturday mornings (morningsidemarket.com).
Enjoy winter spinach raw in salads with a light dressing or quickly wilted in a hot pan. If you cook it any more than that, you’ll miss out on its delicate sweetness.
At local farmers markets
Beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, escarole, green onions, herbs, kale, lettuce, mixed greens, mustard greens, parsnips, radicchio, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard, turnip greens, turnips, winter squash
From farther afield
Looking good: Washington apples, Chilean avocados, Guatemalan beans, Chilean blueberries, California broccoli, California and New York cabbage, California carrots, Arizona and California celery, Mexican corn, Texas grapefruit, Chilean and Peruvian grapes, California and South Carolina greens, Italian kiwifruit, California lettuce, Chilean nectarines, Arizona and California oranges, Chilean peaches, Washington and Chilean pears, Chilean raspberries, Mexican radishes, Florida strawberries, California tangelos, Guatemalan and Honduran watermelons
Coming in: Florida beans, celery, corn and eggplant; Argentine pears; Washington rhubarb
Variable quality: California artichokes; Mexican beans; Texas and Mexican beets; Mexican blackberries; Florida and Texas cabbage; Mexican carrots and eggplant; Texas greens; Arizona lettuce; Mexican limes; Honduran okra; Guatemalan peas; Florida radishes; California and Mexican raspberries; California spinach; California and Mexican strawberries; Florida and Mexican tomatoes, Mexican watermelons
From local reports and the Packer
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Spinach and Grapefruit Salad With Citrus Vinaigrette
Hands on: 10 minutes Total time: 10 minutes Serves: 6
The simple composition of this salad allows the flavor of tender winter spinach to shine through.
6 cups young spinach leaves, rinsed and dried
1/2 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into rings
1 grapefruit
Juice from 1/2 orange
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch granulated sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the spinach leaves in a serving bowl and top with the onion rings. Place the grapefruit on a cutting board. Using a sharp paring knife, cut the peel and membrane from the fruit. Cut the segments away from the interior membrane. Arrange the segments on top of the spinach and onion. In a small bowl, combine the orange juice and lemon juice. Whisk in the olive oil and sugar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the dressing over the salad; toss before serving.
Per serving: 77 calories (percent of calories from fat, 55), 1 gram protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 5 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 24 milligrams sodium.
