Herb. No. 196 · Amaranthaceae
Persian origin; a cool-season green from India to the American crisper.
Native · West Asia · Central Asia
Native Also grownNow a garden plant worldwide
LegalGentleplant
Spinach
Spinacia oleracea
Fruit & vegetableHarvestCompanions
A Persian green that bolts when the days lengthen — cook a pile, because it vanishes in the pan.
Spinach is a West Asian chenopod. Traditional Persian, Indian, and Mediterranean kitchens cook it. Culinary leaf is the path. Raw mountains and juices are a modern habit; oxalate is real for some stone-formers. It bolts in heat and long days. A fall sowing often outlasts a spring one.
Flavor
Green, mineral, a little iron. Young is tender; old is sand and stem.
Parts used
Leaf
Helpful
- Fast from seed
- A true cool-season green
Cautions
- Bolts in heat
- Oxalate
- Grit in the crown if you do not wash