Spinach

Spinach is a green leafy plant with slender stems. The young leaves are used in salads; the older ones are cooked. Use within 1 to 2 days and store with the roots attached in the fridge in a plastic bag. Spinach contains iron and vitamins A and C, but also oxalic acid, which is responsible for its slightly bitter taste, and which acts as an inhibitor to the body’s ability to absorb calcium and iron. This knowledge has somewhat diminished its famous ‘Popeye’ reputation.

New Zealand spinach (or Warrigal greens), though not botanically related, is an Australian and New Zealand native, fleshy leaved vegetable with tough leaves that looks and tastes similar. Silverbeet, or Swiss chard or chard, has large, thick leaves that are crinkled, with pronounced white veins and thick white stems. It is actually a form of beet leaf.