Despite the dozens of different cool weather greens that are grown in the Atlanta area, spinach reigns supreme. “It’s the most popular green by far. It sells out the fastest,” said Celia Barss of Woodland Gardens, a certified organic market garden in Winterville.
Barss sells her produce to restaurants, at the Morningside Farmers Market each Saturday morning and through a community-supported agriculture program in the Athens area. “I don’t even offer spinach to the restaurants because we just can’t grow enough,” Barss said.
If you grew up as I did when spinach was pretty much the only dark green leafy vegetable served at dinner, you can’t help but shake your head at its current widespread popularity. A whole generation grew up eating its spinach only because it made Popeye “strong to the finish.” Maybe it was because most of the spinach in those days was frozen or even, heaven forbid, canned, a far cry from today’s fresh, crisp bunches.
Spinach is not the easiest green to grow around here. Its favorite growing conditions aren’t typical for us. “It likes loose, friable soil and needs even moisture for germination,” Barss told me. She grows it only in the cooler months, planting seed in the middle of September and harvesting leaves through the winter on into April.
Barss is growing two newer varieties of spinach -- ‘Renegade’ and ‘Corvair’ -- that she has found do best for her. She seeds 100 to 200 plants every two weeks, and harvests from a section for two to four weeks. It’s a lot of work to harvest spinach, picking only the baby leaves and leaving the plant to grow on, which makes that kind of crop relatively expensive at the farmers markets.
One of the reasons spinach may be so popular is that it cooks so quickly. “For those nights when I want to cook something in about two minutes, spinach is my go-to,” Barss said. Its versatility is another factor, since it’s just as good raw as it is cooked.
Spinach is grown as both flat and savoy, or curly, leaf varieties. Both taste the same and require the same care when you get your bunches home. Damp spinach will rot quickly, so if you rinse the leaves before storing, dry them with a salad spinner and store them loosely wrapped in your vegetable crisper. Leaves fresh from the farm should keep for five to seven days.
At local farmers markets
For sale
Vegetables and nuts: African squash, arugula, Asian greens, beets, broccoli, broccoli raab, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, collards, dandelion, endive, fennel, herbs, kale, leeks, lettuce, mache, mizuna, mushrooms, mustard greens, onions, parsnips, pecans, peppers, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips
From local reports
Greek Shrimp With Spinach, Feta and Orzo
Hands on: 30 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6
This recipe takes advantage of spinach’s ease of preparation. The hot pasta will wilt the spinach just enough. The original recipe called for baking the assembled dish for 10 minutes. I liked it fine without that extra step, but would consider baking if I wanted to prepare this dish ahead of time and then serve it hot from the oven.
12 ounces orzo
4 cups lightly packed spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
4 ounces (1 cup) crumbled feta, divided
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound extra-large (21 to 25 count) peeled and deveined shrimp
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup red wine
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or heat-proof platter.
Cook orzo according to package directions.
While orzo is cooking, in a large bowl, combine spinach, Parmesan, 3/4 cup feta and 2 tablespoons olive oil. When orzo is finished cooking, drain and toss with ingredients in bowl to wilt spinach and spread mixture in prepared baking dish or platter.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook until they just turn opaque, about 4 minutes. Arrange shrimp over spinach-orzo mixture. Do not rinse skillet.
In same skillet, heat remaining tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat and add garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, then add tomatoes, wine, oregano and red pepper flakes. Simmer 5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Taste for seasoning and pour over shrimp. Sprinkle dish with remaining feta and serve.
Adapted from "The New Southern Garden Cookbook: Enjoying the Best from Homegrown Gardens, Farmers' Markets, Roadside Stands, and CSA Farm Boxes," by Sheri Castle (University of North Carolina Press, $35).
Per serving: 487 calories (percent of calories from fat, 33), 30 grams protein, 51 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 17 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 137 milligrams cholesterol, 561 milligrams sodium.
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