Shopping for spinach typically seems like a race towards the clock.
You purchase a bag, vowing this time shall be completely different. You gained’t be compelled to throw a half-full bag of unhappy, wilted leaves away on the finish of the week. However inevitably, it occurs, time and again.
Recent spinach has a shelf lifetime of between 5 and 7 days. Sadly, there isn’t a lot you are able to do as soon as spinach goes dangerous. For those who open the bag and the leafy veg has wilted and developed a slimy residue, don’t eat it.
Though some meals will be salvaged after they’ve began to go dangerous (like bananas, avocados and pears), spinach isn’t one in all them. Due to its excessive moisture content material, it may be the proper dwelling for foodborne sickness.
Fortunately, there are just a few methods you may retailer it, protect it and use heaping handfuls of it all through your week.
The best way to Retailer Spinach So It Lasts Longer
Moisture is what makes spinach go dangerous so rapidly, so one of the simplest ways to maintain it recent is to instantly retailer it in an hermetic container as quickly as you get it dwelling.
The Pure Nurturer recommends including layers of paper towels to the container. Some individuals even counsel including a few slices of bread to the container for added moisture management.
The best way to Freeze Your Spinach So You Don’t Destroy It
If you recognize you’ve purchased extra spinach than you possibly can presumably eat in per week, you may also freeze it and use it for 9 to 14 months.
You gained’t be capable to serve the thawed leaves in a salad, nevertheless it works completely for smoothies, pasta dishes or quiche recipes and tastes higher than the store-bought frozen options.
That mentioned, if you wish to freeze your spinach, do it quick. If the leaves begin to wilt earlier than you freeze them, they’ll style bitter.
HGTV suggests cleaning, drying and trimming the leaves earlier than getting began. After that, chances are you’ll need to blanch the leaves. You possibly can both blanch the leaves usually or steam blanch them.
To blanch them usually, carry a pot of water to boil and add the recent spinach. Go away them within the water for about two minutes after which put them in ice water for one more two minutes.
To steam blanch, fill a pot with about 2 to three inches of water and produce it to boil. Put a mesh colander or steamer basket within the pot so it rests above the water, then add the spinach. Steam for 2 minutes, then place the spinach in ice water.
After you’ve eliminated the leaves from the ice water, dry them completely with both a thick paper towel or a salad spinner.
As soon as the leaves are dry, put 1 to 2 cups in an hermetic freezer bag.
Freezer burn will make your spinach style rubbery and bitter. Additional water and air could cause freezer burn, so that you need to be certain the spinach is dry and the freezer bag is tightly sealed. You need to use a straw to suck out the surplus air earlier than sealing the bag when you don’t have a vacuum sealer.
When you’ve saved your spinach within the freezer, control it. For those who see leaves which can be beginning to wilt, take them out. It’ll preserve the remainder of the spinach recent for longer.
Recipes to Use Your Spinach Earlier than It Wilts (or Simply After)
Whether or not you’re prepping breakfast, lunch or dinner, you’ve gotten tons of choices for incorporating this vitamin-packed vegetable.
1. Omelet
For those who’re cooking breakfast for one, you may’t go unsuitable with a spinach omelet.
2. Smoothies
A breakfast smoothie can also be an incredible alternative to sneak some recent or frozen spinach into your morning meal. This text features a few of the ways you possibly can add spinach to your morning mix.
An alternative choice: Mix frozen blueberries, a handful of spinach and two spoonfuls of Greek yogurt with some cashew milk and coconut protein powder. The yogurt and cashew milk make for a wonderfully creamy morning meal.
3. Breakfast Casserole
For those who’re seeking to impress, a breakfast casserole is the proper alternative to eliminate some veg. This recipe for green eggs and ham casserole from Bon Appetit requires a heaping 2 kilos of recent greens.
4. Quiche
An alternative choice is a typical quiche. Any quiche will be crustless; simply be certain your pan is effectively greased.
It’s also possible to line your pie or casserole dish with thinly sliced potatoes or candy potatoes. You possibly can roast the potatoes first after which add the filling. It tends to maintain the potatoes from absorbing the egg combination and changing into mushy.
In any other case you may go the simplest (and arguably most scrumptious) route of all, and easily line your dish with phyllo dough. After that, you may comply with any quiche recipe and easily add in your required quantity of spinach.
A quiche can also be a great way to eliminate spinach that is likely to be too wilted to eat as a salad however nonetheless has a little bit of life left. If the spinach has developed a residue, it’s undoubtedly time to throw it away, but when it’s simply beginning to wilt, you may chop it into positive items and add it to your quiche that method.
5. Pesto
One other smart way to make use of some just-wilting spinach leaves is in a pesto. The most effective factor about pesto is it’s extremely straightforward to make, which suggests you may even embody the children within the prep.
Though it may be powerful getting youngsters to eat their leafy veggies, letting them mix 2 cups of spinach with some parmesan, olive oil and garlic may simply do the trick. Plus pesto pairs effectively with a really kid-friendly dish — pasta.
Spinach can also be the proper add-in to nearly any recipe. You possibly can minimize it up in positive items and add it to this Caribbean curry recipe simply earlier than serving. You’ve bought pasta on the menu? Saute some spinach on the facet and blend it in on the finish. Tacos? Swap out the lettuce and cheddar for some spinach and feta for a more healthy twist on a basic meal.
With some creativity and smart storage, your spinach will discover its method into scrumptious dishes as a substitute of your trash can week after week.
Anna Brugmann is a contributor to The PNW.
Assigning Editor Karen Grigsby up to date this submit.