What is spinach and what does it eat?

The statement, which says: "We are what we eat," is becoming more popular and relevant every year. More and more people began to think about the benefits of nutrition. And this is not just a tribute to fashion. Products that offer the average consumer food industry, are stuffed with chemicals, sugar and other dubious ingredients. Hence an unprecedented surge of cancer, obesity, allergic reactions, etc. And, probably, every person faces the question of healthy nutrition. Many argue that healthy food is a luxury for people with a tight wallet. And in part they will be right. But only in part. To improve your body, you need as much as possible to eat fruits and vegetables, which are not so expensive. And besides, most of them you can easily grow on your countryside site, and some vegetables even on the balcony. Fortunately, our latitudes allow you to eat fresh berries and vegetables almost all year round. Try to diversify your table with such a wonderful plant, like spinach.

What is spinach?

This is an early vegetable culture, belonging to the family of the haze. The benefits of spinach are invaluable. First, it contains all the known vitamins: A, P, PP, K, C, all from group B and others. Spinach has no equal in iodine content. Also there are many easily assimilated salts of iron, potassium, calcium and phosphorus. And spinach is rich in proteins, copper and fiber. Many call this plant a brush for the intestines, which makes it an indispensable component in the menu of modern beauties. But this is not all the pluses of the vegetable. Another spinach is very tasty. From it you can cook incredibly many different dishes. From its leaves prepare diet soups, salads, side dishes, as well as desserts. Due to the organic acids contained in it, spinach does not lose its useful properties even after drying, heat treatment and freezing. But, unfortunately, this miracle-vegetable is not so popular with us as in other countries. What is spinach, very well know in the East. There it is so popular that almost no dish can do without it. In the absence of fresh leaves, the prepared dishes are sprinkled dry. The taste of spinach is somewhat neutral, something like a young nettle or salad. The leaves are very juicy and crunchy. And, most importantly, this plant, perhaps, is the very first to appear on vegetable gardens after the melting of snow. Sowing seeds every two weeks, you will provide yourself with vitamins until late autumn. But even if many people have heard about this vegetable plant, not everyone knows what spinach looks like. And it looks like all known sorrel, only the leaves are larger and dense.

Growing of spinach

As noted above, not all gardeners know what spinach is. This is due, rather, to ignorance, but not to the difficulty of growing this plant. On the contrary, spinach is quite unpretentious in care. The only thing that it needs is soil with good drainage and sufficient nitrogen. Sow the seeds in the spring, as soon as the earth warms up to 15 degrees. For this, it is necessary to draw a shallow (not more than 2 cm) beds and sprinkle seeds. To ensure that the plant's rosettes are large enough, the planting material is not very close to each other. If the soil is moist, then the seeds do not wet, otherwise soak them in warm water for a couple of hours. Spinach loves moisture, so try not to overdry the ground. And it is worth noting that this plant is a good absorbent and draws in itself all the nitrates, so try to feed the plant only with organic fertilizers and then in small quantities. From the first shoots to eating vegetables for food takes no more than two weeks. If you want to get an early spring harvest, then it's worth planting spinach seeds in mid-August. And as soon as the plant sprouts, it will be necessary to cover the beds with a film that is not removed until the spring. A couple of weeks after melting snow you can eat fresh herbs.

Spinach: good and bad

The benefits of this vegetable is obvious: a large number of vitamins and trace elements makes it an indispensable component of our diet. But it is worth noting and the harm of this vegetable. People suffering from a violation of water-salt metabolism, as well as urolithiasis, are strictly prohibited from eating it. From this article you learned what spinach is and how it is useful. Be sure to include this plant in your diet, and you will definitely appreciate it.