BEHR Gemüsegarten: Products

Spinach

Spinach belongs to the Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot) family and is closely related to beetroot and chard. Spinach originally comes from Asia (Caucasus) and was already widespread in the Mediterranean in ancient times. Spinach was brought to Spain by Crusaders and Arabs more than 1,000 years ago. From there, it spread throughout Europe and is now cultivated all over the world.

We supply two different spinach products, which mainly differ in terms of the time of harvest. We produce traditional spinach, with thick stems and fleshy and firmer leaves, as well as baby spinach. This has a much earlier harvest than conventional spinach and is characterised by the fact that it still has very young, small and delicate leaves.

The flavour of spinach and baby spinach is not significantly different. Since the baby spinach is still young, it tastes slightly milder than its big brother and the leaves are noticeably softer.

Cultivation and harvesting

We grow our spinach and baby spinach in Ohlendorf (Lower Saxony) and Büttelborn (Hesse). Our organic baby spinach grows on our fields in Gallin/Kölzin (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania) and Rosenweide (Lower Saxony).

Spinach generally prefers deep and light soils, and its roots can grow to a depth of over 1 metre. Good water management is important, as spinach is extremely sensitive to waterlogging.

Preparation and freshness tips

In order to preserve as many of its valuable nutrients as possible, spinach should ideally be eaten immediately while it's fresh and generally prepared with the greatest care. It is advisable to remove the coarser stalks after washing conventional spinach. Our baby spinach just needs to be cleaned and washed.

Conventional spinach is best served as a hot accompaniment to meat or fish. It can either be fried in a little oil in a pan or boiled in salted water.

With its fine leaves and mild flavour, baby spinach is excellent served raw in a salad or smoothie. There are no limits to the flavour of the dressing. Our baby spinach also tastes great heated briefly with pasta, for example. Just stir in a pan with olive oil and season with a little garlic, pepper and salt.

“Spinach should not be reheated after cooking” – this is a saying that goes back a few generations, when there were no refrigerators to keep food chilled. Nowadays, if cooked spinach is chilled immediately after cooking and then reheated to at least 70 °C the next day at the latest and consumed immediately without reheating it again, adults can enjoy spinach without any concerns. The reason for these recommendations is the nitrate naturally occurring in spinach, which is converted into nitrite by a metabolic process and by keeping it warm for a long time. As stricter rules apply to children up to the age of three when it comes to the consumption of vegetables containing nitrites or nitrates, it is important to make sure that they do not eat too much of them.

Due to the sensitive leaves, spinach is not suitable for storage over long periods. It should therefore be prepared as soon as possible after purchase.