Senga's Blog
Eco-chic Outdoor Living & Exterior Design
Feb. 27/2010 – The Planning Stage: Baby Spinach 'Catalina'
I started perusing through my seeds today to see what I could plant to take advantage of what seems to be an
early start to the early spring season. It seems like we have successfully avoided the 2’ snows we saw this time last year at our house. I immediately started scanning the cool season crops and came upon an edible that I have yet to put on my culinary as well as blog posting.
So here goes Baby Spinach ‘Catalina’. Adjacent our outdoor dining patio, we have a hybrid edible container – 1/3rd contains our evergreen vines of Fragrant Jasmine and the other 3rd is planted with Day Neutral Strawberries. I decide to infill the middle with some of this quick cool season crop. Convenient to the kitchen and against a south wall, the seedlings should be able to survive such an early season. My strategy was to plant the seeds about 2” apart. As the plants grow I will harvest every other seedling and use them for additives to salads. The balance I will allow mature to larger sized leaves and harvest the outer leaves as the plants matures.
As the spring season progresses, I will replace that planter with heat loving crops and transfer the spinach to the edible green roof where plants will be able to grow in cooler conditions as part of our house shades that garden.
The Superfood
Spinach and other dark leafy greens like kale, collards, Swiss chard, turnip greens and bok choy are loaded with calcium, folic acid, vitamin K and iron. It is also high in antioxidants. Spinach is also rich in vitamin C, fibre and carotenoids. Add its lutein and bioflavanoids and spinach is a nutritional powerhouse. However, it is important to note that spinach is better eaten fresh within a few days or it will lose a significant amount of its nutrients. And steaming as opposed to boiling will help reduce nutrient loss.
What Popeye Didn’t Know
The cartoon character Popeye the Sailor Man is portrayed as having a strong affinity for spinach, becoming physically stronger after consuming it. The BBC has reported that this portrayal is partially due to the iron content having been mistakenly being reported as ten times the actual value; a value that was rechecked during the 1930s, whereby it was revealed that the original calculations of the German scientist, Dr. E. von Wolf, contained a misplaced decimal point.
What the Italians Knew
Spinach was the favorite vegetable of Catherine de Medici, a historical figure in the 16th century. When she left her home of Florence, Italy, to marry the king of France, she brought along her own cooks, who could prepare spinach the ways that she especially liked. Since this time, dishes prepared on a bed of spinach are referred to as "a la Florentine.
Baby Leaf Spinach ‘Catalina’ Information You Need to Know
Botanical name: Spinacia oleracea ‘Catalina’
Common Name: Baby Spinach ‘Catalina’
Country of Origin: Nepal (primitive forms)
Description: Tender, flat, deep green oval leaves with a delicate flavour. Fast growing, heat tolerant/bolt resistant and extremely disease resistant
Best harvested: Cut outer leaves as needed as soon as plants look like they won’t miss an outer leaf or two.
Time to Plant: Outdoors Feb – May (after hard frost) and August – September. During mild winters they can be overwintered by mulching and then harvested in the spring as the heads start to activate and grow.
Where to Sow and Grow: Full sun or partial shade but during cool weather (spring and fall best)
Space: 10cm (4”) apart. Initially plant 5cm (2” apart) and harvest young plants for earlier salad additions.
Maturity: 40 Days
Tip: Heavy feeder and constant moisture.
Taste: Mild and Nutty Flavour
Uses: Fresh in salads, wilted, creamed – in about 6 weeks I will be tutored by my chef husband a variety of culinary uses and will post them as they are made.
Place in Square Foot Garden: On edible green roof – perfect fast growing crop to interplant with slower vegetables such as eggplant, larger tomato varieties, zucchini and the like! Also makes a good temporary addition in off season (early spring) to containers.
