Spinach
Texas produces good quality spinach with clean, fresh, crisp leaves and good green coloring. Smooth-leaf varieties suitable for processing comprise about 70 percent of the crop. Fresh market crinkle-leaf Savoy makes up the remainder. A cool weather crop, spinach is harvested primarily from late fall through early spring. |
Selection:Choose leaves that are crisp and dark green in color with a nice earthy fragrance. Avoid limp, damaged leaves with yellow spots.
Storage: Refrigerate unwashed spinach in a plastic bag for up to three days. Before using, rinse thoroughly to remove grit.
Nutrition: Spinach provides half of the daily recommended intake of folacin in one 60-gram serving and almost that much of vitamin A. Spinach is also a good source of vitamin C, iron, potassium and sodium.
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General Produce Safety Guidelines:
- All fresh produce that is peeled or cut should be refrigerated within two hours. Leftover cut produce should be discarded if left at room temperature for more than two hours.
- Hands should be washed with hot soapy water before and after handling fresh produce.
- Wash all fruits and vegetables with cool tap water immediately before eating. Do not use soap or detergents. Scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean produce brush. Cut away bruised or damaged areas before eating.
- Wash surfaces often. Cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops should be washed with hot soapy water and sanitized after coming in contact with fresh produce. Always use clean cutting boards and utensils when handling fresh produce.
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Availability
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