Back when I was a kid, spinach was one of the least desired veggies in the cafeteria lunch line. I can remember kids lining up to scoop their servings of spinach onto my plate. Even back then I loved spinach – maybe it was the marketing effect of Popeye The Sailor Man! We have grown spinach at The Chef’s Garden for as long as I can remember.
The microclimate and soil here, along Lake Erie, create an environment that is ideal for growing. Going back, gosh, almost 11,000 years ago, the soil we grow on was actually part of the lake bottom, and it is truly some of the richest sandy loam that exists anywhere in the world.
Combined with cool seasons, it creates an absolute perfect environment for producing some of the best spinach that exists. We start out growing and harvesting it in the open air, but as the season progresses we cover the plants with cold frames. The quality of the Ice Spinach only improves as we enter the dead of winter with the daily freezing and thawing cycle increasing its sugar levels. It has amazing flavors ranging from buttery, to sweet and nutty. I also love the body and texture of our Ice Spinach. It is more like what you would envision from a Savoy cabbage − not to mention that our spinach has such an amazing crunchy texture.
As our spinach is repeatedly exposed to cooler temperatures, it draws more nutrients up through the roots and into the leaves. And who doesn’t want to start the new year on a healthy footing? Ice spinach is high in vitamins C (about 10 percent of your daily needs), A and more.
Much of the spinach I see used in most high-volume kitchens are varieties that grow in warmer conditions and produce higher yields. The way you can tell it’s grown in a warmer climate is based on leaf texture; many of the varieties sold commercially have flat, spoon-shaped leaves with little flavor and essentially no body. Our goal isn’t to grow the variety with the highest yield. It’s to find the most flavorful and nutritious product available.
Ice spinach will be available all winter long. Contact a knowledgeable Product Specialist at 800-289-4644 to answer your questions about ice spinach, receive product suggestions, recipe inspirations and menu planning. We believe that healthy soil grows healthy vegetables and yields healthy people!