Article tells about medical and food properties of spinach garden, and also the attention is paid to an agrotechnology of its cultivation.
Shrinat garden
Spinach as vegetable was known since ancient times. In XIV. the Arab scientists called him "the king of vegetables". Avicenna wrote about medical properties of a plant and considered it exclusively useful to health. Later Frenchmen on advantage estimated also food properties of spinach.
Botanical description. Spinach garden – an annual grassy plant of family marevy. In a year of crops forms the socket of leaves and seeds. Leaves petiolar, large, roundish, oval or heart-shaped form. A sheet plate smooth, bubbly or goffered. Spinach – a dvudomny, diclinous plant, that is man’s a flower are located on one plants, and female – on others. Man’s plants form the small socket of leaves and at once the flower stalk bearing a kolosovidno-panicled inflorescence starts to develop. Female plants of leaves in the socket have more than at man’s and they are more powerful. In the economic relation grades, at kotoyory pistillate flowers much more the man’s are most valuable. Flowering of plants comes 42 – 53 days later after emergence of shoots, maturing of seeds – in 35 – 55 days after flowering. Spinach seeds large, olive-brown, keep vsxozhest 3 – 4 years.
Biological features. Spinach – early and holodostoyky culture. Seeds sprout at 4-5°S, mass shoots appear at 12-18°C, optimum temperature for growth and development of plants – 14-18°C. Spring and autumn months when in the soil moisture, and air temperature moderate suffices are optimum for cultivation of spinach. At high temperature, dryness of the soil and air of a plant it is frequent, passing a phase of formation of the socket, pass to a steblevaniye. Spinach grows on all types of soils, except sour and heavy. On poor soils before crops it is desirable to bring humus, compost (2-3 kg/sq.m) or mineral fertilizers (10-15 g of ammoniac saltpeter, 40-50 g of superphosphate and 20-30 g/m2 of potash fertilizers).
Chemical composition. In spinach leaves soderzhitsyakompleks of biologically active substances which define its food and medical value. So, in 100 g of fresh greens contains to 3,2 mg of a protein; mineral substances: 62 mg of sodium, 352 mg of potassium, 56 mg of calcium, 106 mg of magnesium, 3,2 – 6,0 mg of iron, 48 mg of phosphorus; vitamins B of mg of %: carotene – 3,7, vitamin C 47 – 65, RR – 0,62, V1 – 0,09, V2 – 0,24, V3 – 0,31, V6 – 0,1, V9 – 7,0.
Medical properties. The big content of iron in a legkousvoyaemy form, and also availability of folic acid do spinach irreplaceable at anemia treatment. Rather high for vegetables the maintenance of a protein and a complex of vitamins B a combination to a large number of mineral substances favorably influence growth of a children’s organism and promote its normal development. Spinach raises activity of digestive bodies and strengthens peristaltiku intestines (because of it Frenchmen called it "a stomach sweeper"). Juice from fresh leaves of spinach recommend to use at a lack of iron of blood, weakening of an organism, overfatigue and a long-period illness, a disease of gums (in a mix with carrot juice) and as means of strengthening of nervous system (for workers of mental labor and people of a neurotic warehouse).
Leaves of spinach contain a lot of shchavelevy acid therefore it don’t recommend to use to people with violations of the water-salt exchange, suffering gout, with diseases of a liver and kidneys. At the use of fresh spinach and in the form of juice shchavelevy acid doesn’t cause any harm to an organism as is in an organic form.
Agrotechnology and reproduction. Spinach breeds seeds. It is better for sowing in the autumn or early in the spring. In the autumn sow in Idekade of September. At this term of sowing at plants before steady colds the radical socket with 4 – 5 leaves manages to be created. In this faze spinach winters (well transfers to snowless winters frosts of-10…-15 °C, and in snow to-20 °C]. In the spring, with establishment of plusovy temperature, a plant continue the development, and the juicy greens of spinach are ready to the use at the end of March – the beginning of April. In the autumn it sows on the site which has been taken away for cultivation of thermophilic cultures (paslenovy, pumpkin). Up the time of their landing spinach usually happens is cleaned.
In the early spring spinach sow, as soon as it is possible to leave in the field, but no later than April 15. Later to sow spinach it is not recommended – at high temperature of a plant strelkuyutsya, not forming sockets of leaves. Sow in the ordinary way with row-spacings 20 – 25 see. Depth of seal of seeds 1 – 1,5 see. Shoots appear in 7 – 12 days. 2 – 3 days later after emergence of shoots loosen row-spacings and seyanets thin out, leaving between them distance 4 – 5 see. The second the prorezhivany and the subsequent are led in process of growth of plants. Leaving consists in timely loosening of the soil and removal of weeds. At dry and hot weather watering is obligatory. Depending on a grade, the economic validity of spinach comes in 14 – 35 days after emergence of shoots. Clean selectively – the most powerful plants, pulling out them entirely, or the most developed leaves from different plants, carefully cutting off not to damage the remained. Fresh spinach is badly stored therefore to clean it it is necessary directly ahead of the use. It can be prepared for the future as it perfectly remains in the frozen look.
The use in food. Spinach – a dietary product. Its leaves use in fresh food, in salads, use for juice preparation. Them also add in vegetable soups, extinguish, bake.
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