Spinat

Schnellwüchsig liefert Spinat frisches Grün für die Küche: Junge Spinatblätter eignen sich hervorragend als Zugabe zu Mischsalaten, altere werden kurz gekocht. Dann schmeckt er nach dieser Zubereitung besonders gut.

Plants grow best and produce their heaviest crop of leaves on a nitrogen-rich soil. They dislike very heavy or very light soils. They also dislike acid soils, preferring a neutral to slightly alkaline soil. Plants require plenty of moisture in the growing season, dry summers causing the plants to quickly run to seed. Summer crops do best in light shade to encourage more leaf production before the plant goes to seed, winter crops require a warm dry sunny position. Young plants are hardy to about -9°c. Spinach is often cultivated for its edible leaves, there are some named varieties. These varieties can be grouped into two main types as detailed below:- Forms with prickly seeds. These are the more primitive forms. Their leaves are more lobed and they are in general more cold tolerant and also more resistant of summer heat. They were more often used to produce a crop in the winter. Forms with round seeds have been developed in cultivation, These have broader leaves, tend to be less cold hardy and were also more prone to bolt in hot weather. They were used mainly for the summer crop. Most new cultivars are of the round seeded variety and these have been developed to be more resistant to bolting in hot weather, more cold tolerant, to produce more leaves and also to be lower in calcium oxalate which causes bitterness and also has negative nutritional effects upon the body. Some modern varieties have been developed that are low in oxalic acid. Edible leaves can be obtained all year round from successional sowings. The summer varieties tend to run to seed fairly quickly, especially in hot dry summers and so you need to make successional sowings every few weeks if a constant supply is required. Winter varieties provide leaves for a longer period, though they soon run to seed when the weather warms up. Spinach grows well with strawberries. It also grows well with cabbages, onions, peas and celery. A fast-growing plant, the summer crop can be interplanted between rows of slower growing plants such as Brussels sprouts. The spinach would have been harvested before the other crop needs the extra space. Spinach is a bad companion for grapes and hyssop. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is fleshy. Thick or swollen - fibrous or tap root [2-1].

Edible Parts: Leaves Seed Edible Uses: Colouring Leaves - raw or cooked. Tender young leaves can be added to salads, older leaves are used as greens or added to soups etc. The leaves contain oxalic acid (6 - 8% in young leaves, 23 - 27% in the cotyledons), see the notes above on toxicity. A nutritional analysis of the leaves is available. Seeds - raw or cooked. It can be sprouted and added to salads. Chlorophyll extracted from the leaves is used as an edible green dye.

Dye A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves.

Heimisch: Afghanistan, Alberta, BR, Boyacá, Cundinamarca, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Manizales, North America, Pakistan, Saskatchewan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan Eingeführt: AR, AT, AU, Algeria, Altay, Amur, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brussels-Capital Region, CA, CY, CZ, California, Canary Is., Cayman Is., Connecticut, Corse (Corsica), Cyprus, Czech Republic, Czechia-Slovakia, DK, Denmark, Dominican Republic, EE, ES, East Aegean Is., Flemish Region, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Haiti, India, Inner Mongolia, Japan, Korea, Kriti, Laos, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Maine, Manitoba, Marianas, Massachusetts, Morocco, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Northwest Territories, Norway, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Primorye, Rhode I., Saudi Arabia, South Carolina, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Vietnam, Virginia, Walloon Region, Washington, Yemen, Yukon