Spinach and silverbeet

silverbeet Spinach, that old ally of Popeye, was actually a bit of a fake. Early nutritionists, not as good at their sums as now, put the decimal point in the wrong place and falsely thought spinach had ten times the iron content!

People even once believed that spinach juice would cure scorpion bites.

Although silverbeet, known by its wide crinkled green leaves may be called spinach (it is really Swiss chard), English spinach looks different with smaller, flat leaves. Both vegetables provide good amounts of vitamins A and C and iron, the hallmark of all dark green leafy vegetables, and silverbeet also serves up plenty of vitamin E and folate. Unfortunately silverbeet is high in sodium, the level depending on where it is grown, and this may put it on the black-list for those on sodium-restricted diets. The option here is to substitute spinach which has no sodium.

Both types are best used as soon as possible after harvesting. Refrigerate the leaves until needed then cook them very briefly to retain the bright colour, flavour, and nutrients, and serve immediately. For those who find the flavour of silverbeet too strong, try shredding equal quantities of silverbeet and dark outer leaves of lettuce and tossing them with a tablespoon of water and plenty of chopped parsley just until steamed and tender. Be sure not to restrict yourself to using only the leaves, the stem can also be cooked in a similar way to celery. The Spanish often cook it chopped finely in a pan with garlic and onion, while the French often eat the blanched stems with béchamel sauce.

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