Spinach and its leafy cousins are the queens of the garden when the cold bites. They are rich in folic acid, which supports tissue growth and cellular renewal, and they are especially high in iron. Spinach and its cousins, notably Swiss chard, belong to the family of green leafy vegetables. While the habit is to boil them, their culinary possibilities run far deeper. They can brighten smoothies when paired with other ingredients, brighten grain bowls, or be folded into frittatas and soups for extra body.
Spinach and its greens perform well in markets, though in recent years shoppers have moved away from bulk purchases toward what is called the fourth range, packaged in washed, chopped bags. This trend reflects a preference for convenience and consistent quality, especially in homes, hospitals, and institutions that rely on streamlined kitchens.
January marks the moment when these greens, sown between September and October, reach their peak. Even though they are available all year now, the strongest production occurs from late autumn through March in Catalonia’s growing areas, such as Maresme, Vallès, and Baix Llobregat. They are primarily sold to kitchens in care facilities that prepare meals for residents year-round, ensuring steady demand.
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This year, however, locally grown spinach did not fare well. A late-October storm hammered the delta of the Llobregat and hit this leafy vegetable hard, because it is highly sensitive to excess water and humidity. Chard proved more resilient and fared better in the rough weather. That does not mean there will be no spinach; it will arrive from other producing regions where weather conditions were more favorable.
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Spinach and chard are among the cheapest greens in the market. A bunch weighing between 700 and 800 grams sells in Mercabarna for roughly 60 to 80 cents. They are also highly versatile in the kitchen, especially the spinach, which can be added to smoothies, eaten in salads, incorporated into quiches, croquettes, or empanadas, and once boiled, prepared in several ways, whether with raisins and pine nuts, with cream, bechamel, or in a tortilla.