Spinach also known as Horenso in Japanese is a yearlong edible plant that has been cultivated since olden times. The first spinach introduced into Japan was of the oriental variety. Later came round leaved spinach of the western variety. These two types of spinach were then used to make hybrid spinach found on the shelves of your nearest grocery store.

The winter months are said to be the best time to eat delicious spinach. Due to its strong alkaline taste, it is often eaten boil used to make Ohitashi dressed with sesame sauce.

When looking to make your spinach last, the best way to preserve for long term storage is to place in the freezer after light boiling. Freezing spinach preserves the nutritional value of spinach. When thawing, avoid exposing to extreme heat defrosting your spinach to preserve vitamin C content.

Spinach Nutrition

Spinach is high in vitamin K and folate. There are 510mcg of vitamin K1 in half a cup of cooked spinach, which is 567% the daily value of vitamin K. Because excess consumption of vitamin K may cause liver damage, it is recommended to limit your daily intake of spinach to between 30 and 50 grams of spinach with respect to vitamin K intake.