Growing spinach: harvesting and reheating it safely
Spinach is one of the first vegetables in spring and one of the last in autumn. It grows quickly, needs little space and works well before or after warmth-loving crops.
Sowing
- Spring sowing as soon as the soil can be worked, autumn sowing from late summer – in heat and long days spinach quickly bolts
- Sow in rows and keep evenly moist
- There are dedicated, hardier varieties for winter
Harvest
- Pick young leaves individually or cut the whole rosette just above the ground
- Harvest before flower stalks form – the leaves then turn tough
Nitrate, oxalic acid and reheating
Spinach contains a lot of nitrate. According to the BZfE, it can turn into nitrite when food is kept warm or left standing for a long time. The BZfE therefore advises: cool leftovers quickly, store them airtight in the fridge and preferably reheat them only once.
Like chard, raw spinach also contains a relatively high amount of oxalic acid (BZfE).
Storing
Fresh spinach keeps for about two days in the vegetable drawer of the fridge (BZfE). Ideally use it on the day of harvest.
See also
- "Growing chard: leaf and stem from your own bed" – the hardy relative for summer
Sources
- German Federal Centre for Nutrition (BZfE): Saison für Spinat, as of 22 Mar 2023, accessed 5 Oct 2026
- German Federal Centre for Nutrition (BZfE): Mangold: Blatt und Stiel genießen, as of 25 Feb 2026, accessed 5 Oct 2026
The sources support individual statements in this article. The organisations named have neither reviewed nor endorsed it.