Produce Briefs...
White Corn
White corn is a sweet corn variety. Its ears are wrapped in tightly layered pale lime green to white husks. One ear of corn can contain up to 400 kernels growing in rows lengthwise.
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Rainbow chard, also known a 5-color silverbeet, is a tender chard variety with multi-colored stalks of yellow, white, orange pink and red.
Seasons/Availability
Late winter through spring. Usually found at farmers markets.
Description/Taste
Red spinach leaves are round, thick, and rich green with an bright red coloring along the central stem area. Red spinach has a sweet, green flavor and delicate texture very similar to standard spinach.
Nutritional Value
Very low in calories, fresh spinach is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, plus iron and other essential minerals.
Applications
Red spinach can be eaten fresh or cook and stands up well to wilting and sauteing. Use as a salad leaf or as a dark, leafy green. Pair with spring vegetables, citrus, berries, eggs, nuts, bacon, pasta, and fresh cheeses. Flavor with Indian or Middle Eastern spices, creams, ginger, garlic, shallots, chiles and soy. Red spinach will keep, dry and refrigerated, for one to two weeks.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Most seed suppliers classify spinach varieties by the appearance of their leaf types: flat and smooth leaves, leaves that are semi-savoyed (crinkled) or those that are heavily savoyed or somewhere in between.
Geography/History
Spinach, a cultivated plant of the genus Spinacia oleracea, is native to, or close to, Persia. Cultivation later moved to Spain with the invading Moors around 1100-1200 A.D. Preferring cool temperatures, sandy soil and some dryness, spinach grows well in California and Texas. Spinach is a cool season crop and belongs to the goosefoot family, Chenopodiaceae, along with beets and Swiss chard.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Red Spinach. One
is easiest, three is harder.
Late winter through spring. Usually found at farmers markets.
Description/Taste
Red spinach leaves are round, thick, and rich green with an bright red coloring along the central stem area. Red spinach has a sweet, green flavor and delicate texture very similar to standard spinach.
Nutritional Value
Very low in calories, fresh spinach is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, plus iron and other essential minerals.
Applications
Red spinach can be eaten fresh or cook and stands up well to wilting and sauteing. Use as a salad leaf or as a dark, leafy green. Pair with spring vegetables, citrus, berries, eggs, nuts, bacon, pasta, and fresh cheeses. Flavor with Indian or Middle Eastern spices, creams, ginger, garlic, shallots, chiles and soy. Red spinach will keep, dry and refrigerated, for one to two weeks.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Most seed suppliers classify spinach varieties by the appearance of their leaf types: flat and smooth leaves, leaves that are semi-savoyed (crinkled) or those that are heavily savoyed or somewhere in between.
Geography/History
Spinach, a cultivated plant of the genus Spinacia oleracea, is native to, or close to, Persia. Cultivation later moved to Spain with the invading Moors around 1100-1200 A.D. Preferring cool temperatures, sandy soil and some dryness, spinach grows well in California and Texas. Spinach is a cool season crop and belongs to the goosefoot family, Chenopodiaceae, along with beets and Swiss chard.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Red Spinach. One
is easiest, three is harder.
