Saflax - Organic - Spinach - Matador - Spinacia oleracea - 300 seeds - Rapidly growing and high-yielding for year-round re-seeding . Worth knowing: Matator is a year-round rapidly growing and high-yielding spinach variety with large and dark green leaves. Every two weeks or as required, the plant can be re-seeded on the balcony in a flower box or in pots.. Clean the leaves to get rid of any dirt and grit. It can be used raw for preparing smoothies. Since spinach will lose its green colour and many of its vitamins during cooking, it should be blanched briefly beforehand. First, remove the bitter stems and the stalk. Properly wash the spinach in a sieve and carefully dab it dry with a soft paper towel or kitchen cloth. Bring a big pot with sufficient water to boil. Prepare a large bowl with ice cubes and fill with additional cool water as high as the ice cubes. Place the spinach only 30 to 60 seconds in the boiling water, it will change its colour to light green. Strain off the water, catch the spinach in a strainer and let it drip off. Now, place the spinach in the ice water and let it cool down for a couple of minutes. The sudden cooling interrupts the simmering process and ensures that the spinach stays firm and crunchy. As another option, you may also steam the spinach: the preparation is very much the same as with blanching. Bring water in a pot to boil and place a sieve or special steam tray inside. If you wish to cook potatoes or pasta to go along with the spinach, the steam of the boiling potatoes or pasta will be sufficient for steaming the spinach as well. Spinach is very well suited for preparing quiche, tarts, lasagna and cannelloni. Natural Place: Spinach has been cultivated since time immemorial in ancient Persia, India and China and since the 14th century in Europe as well. Cultivation: For preparing the patch, break up the soil properly and add two to three litres of mature compost per square metre to the earth. Place the seeds side by side in the 2 to 3 cm deep seed furrow and leave about 20 to 35 cm space between the furrows. You can also start the cultivation with pre-propagation by placing 5 to 7 seeds in a small pot or flower box on your window sill or balcony. With a temperature of about 12° Celsius, spinach germinates within 8 to 10 days. In the first weeks you should keep the plants covered with some garden foil. After 6 to 8 weeks you can bring in the first harvest. Place: Spinach needs humus-rich and penetrable soil, as it develops approximately 30 cm deep rooting. The plant can be cultivated either in sunny or a semi-shaded places. Care: Spinach has a low nutrient demand, and other than adding compost while initially preparing the patch it doesn’t need any additional nutrients. Too much fertilizing causes rather an undesirable nitrate accumulation in the leaves. Water the plant regularly and sufficiently to keep even the deeper layers of the soil moist, as with dryness the leaves will wither quickly. During Winter: During the winter, spinach doesn’t need any protection, as this is the actual harvest season. Bonsai: No Picture credits: Because of technical limitations links are shown as text. 18402-spinacia-oleracea-seed-package-front-german.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 18402-spinacia-oleracea-cultivation-instruction-german.jpg - Frank Laue - © Saflax - saflax.de/copyright 18402-32-spinacia-oleracea.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 18402-33-spinacia-oleracea.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 18402-34-spinacia-oleracea.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 18402-34-spinacia-oleracea.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 18402-35-spinacia-oleracea.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 18402-36-spinacia-oleracea.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 18402-37-spinacia-oleracea.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright