Spinach

A long road west

Spinach was cultivated in Persia by the 4th century, brought to China in the 7th century by Nepali traders (where it’s still called “Persian vegetable”), and reached the Mediterranean via Arab traders in the 11th century. It became a favorite of Catherine de’ Medici, who brought it from Florence to France when she married Henry II — and is the reason “Florentine” in French cooking implies a spinach base.

The Popeye myth

The cartoon character Popeye made spinach a 20th-century symbol of strength because of its supposed iron content. In fact, a 1937 republished correction of an older paper had reported spinach contained ten times its actual iron — a decimal-point error that took decades to correct in the public mind. Spinach is a good source of iron, but no more so than many other leafy greens.

Oxalic acid

Raw spinach is high in oxalic acid, which binds to calcium and reduces its absorption. Brief cooking reduces oxalates and unlocks more bioavailable iron and calcium.

In the garden

Spinach bolts (sends up a flower stalk and turns bitter) when temperatures climb above 75 °F. Sow it early in spring and again in late summer for fall harvests.