FOR SALE AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS
Vegetables: arugula, Asian greens, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, chard, collards, endive, escarole, herbs, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, Napa cabbage, peanuts, radicchio, radishes, rutabaga, spinach, spring onions, sweet potatoes, turnips, winter squash
From local reports
You often hear that collards and mustard greens are sweeter after the first frost. Jonathan Szecsey of Abundant Harvest Gardens in Winston says the same holds true for spinach. “The more freezes we have, the nuttier and sweeter the spinach gets.”
Szecsey grows Bloomsdale, an heirloom variety with a savoy, or crinkled, leaf. There also are spinach varieties with flat, smooth leaves, but he says chefs tell him they prefer the savoy leaves because of the way they holds up in cooking.
Spinach is tougher than you might think. Szecsey says he’s seen it survive being covered with snow in the fields. “I grow it outdoors, but I grow some in the greenhouse as a backup. Spinach matures really nicely both in the greenhouse and outside, but it’s a pretty labor intensive crop. You get down on your hands and knees to pick each individual leaf.”
Szecsey says the trick to being successful with a fall and winter crop of spinach is to plant the seeds a month before the fall equinox, or between August 20 and 23. When the days start to get shorter and temperatures start to drop, he finds plant growth slows down.
He plants seed again in February for a spring crop, but says spring spinach bruises more easily and just doesn’t have the substance of the fall and winter crop.
Szecsey’s spinach and other vegetables are available through www.heritagefarm.locallygrown.net. He’ll also be at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market when the market opens for the season in April.
Whether you buy flat or savoy leaf spinach, it requires the same care when you get your bunch or bag of leaves 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 5 to 7 days.
How does Szecsey enjoy his spinach? Well, last March he represented the Peachtree Road Farmers Market at Best of Atlanta. “I made a warm spinach salad with goat cheese, bacon and toasted walnuts. It was a big hit.”
Little Alley Steak’s Creamed Spinach
3 pounds spinach
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 shallots, chopped
3 chopped garlic cloves
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
Have a large bowl of ice water ready.
In a large saucepan, bring an inch of water to a boil. Insert steamer and arrange spinach in steamer. Cook until spinach is tender and bright green, about 2 minutes. Remove spinach to ice water and stir to cool. Immediately drain spinach and roughly chop. Put spinach in a dish towel and twist it to squeeze out all excess water. Set spinach aside.
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic and thyme and cook until the vegetables are soft. Add cream and bring them mixture to a boil. Cook until the cream has reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Stir in Parmesan and nutmeg and season to taste. Stir in spinach. Spinach can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
When ready to serve, preheat broiler. Lightly grease 8 individual 6-ounce ramekins or a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
If spinach was refrigerated, move spinach mixture to a saucepan and warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish or ramekins. Top with Gruyere. Run ramekins or baking dish under broiler until cheese melts and is golden brown. Serve immediately. Serves: 8
Per serving: 310 calories (percent of calories from fat, 77), 10 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 28 grams fat (17 grams saturated), 97 milligrams cholesterol, 273 milligrams sodium.
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