Farm Focus: Okinawa Spinach
We are very excited to introduce one of our organically grown perennial salad greens this week! It will be served alongside kale, topped with feta and house-made dill vinaigrette in the featured salad at The Barn at Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm; available for lunch or take home.
This vegetable was discovered in Asia, but when it reached Hawaii, it’s popularity grew. Okinawa Spinach is gorgeous. Dark green leaves on the tops and the undersides are a beautiful purple. It has an unique sweet, herby tea-like flavor adding a beautiful aesthetic element to cuisine. The stems and the leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, it is full of vitamins, and is said to lower cholesterol. This plant also thrives in the tropics, opening the doors for Southwest Florida farms like Rosy Tomorrows to grow nutrient dense salad greens all year.
Okinawan spinach is a ‘cool food’ according to the Chinese cooking style of food grouping, and is paired with ‘hot foods’, which is why Chef Lauren chose dill and apple cider vinegar to complement the dish she will present on Wednesday.
These greens, as well as other perennial vegetables, will be available this summer.
