This picture was taken last year when I put the last of the Spinach into the freezer, it has lasted us well, we still have a couple of boxes of frozen 'blobs'. All I do is briefly blanch it, cool it, let it drain for a while in a colander and then put it in spoonfuls to open freeze, once it is frozen it is tipped into large boxes. We try and use it in the order it is frozen in, but the other day I found some from 2011, it tasted just as good once cooked as a bunch of fresh spinach from the Veggie Patch would do now.
I tend to grow 'Perpetual Spinach', you can pull off a few leaves from each plant and they all continue growing all year round. Through all the frosts and heavy rains this Winter the spinach has survived, I have pulled a few leaves off to treat the geese and chickens whenever the grass has been a bit sparse, but I made sure I left enough on each plant so it could survive the Winter.
We eat it with all sorts of foods, it's delicious with salmon, or a in a quiche with eggs, cheese and a dash of sweet chilli sauce, or sometimes I simply add it to the pasta water for the last couple of minutes of cooking and then strain them together through the colander, adding a swirl of good olive oil and handful of Parmesan style cheese to the top of each bowl before serving.
Sometimes the easiest foods to grow and cook are the tastiest, the healthiest and the cheapest.
And if it's good enough for Popeye, it's good enough for us :-)
Sue xx
I'm still eating ours as well Sue - fresh from the veg patch. The polytunnel pots got attacked by the hens though and is looking a bit sad :-)
ReplyDeletelovely lovely - think I will try planting some up too
ReplyDeleteI love spinach but because our summers are so hot we can only grow it early spring and early autumn...our yields are very low as the plants bolt.
ReplyDeleteJane x
I've just planted my seeds!
ReplyDeleteOooo yum!
ReplyDeleteI love most veg
ReplyDeleteBut I. Hate spinach
With a vengeance
It looks delicious and so good for you.
ReplyDeleteSft x
We grow perpetual spinach/leaf beet too because I love it and it is much more tolerant a plant than actual spinach. And the hens and rabbits like a bit too : )
ReplyDeleteYou might like to try Spinach bake with pinenuts. Lightly cook your spinach, let it cool, then spead a layer of pinenuts in an oven proof dish, a layer of spinach, another layer of nuts then spinach, and then pour over the top bechemel sauce and top that with some grated cheese, bake in the oven until cheese is brown.Delicious!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to sow it last year!! Won't be making that mistake again...
ReplyDelete