A little reason to celebrate
National Fresh Spinach Day
Food ยท July 16
A food day for fresh spinach, the tender leafy green eaten raw in salads, wilted into pasta and eggs, or blended into a morning smoothie.
National Fresh Spinach Day falls on Friday, July 16, 2027. That is 262 days away.
Fresh spinach is a leafy green with soft, dark leaves and a mild, slightly earthy taste. It is sold in loose bunches with the stems still on, or washed and bagged as baby spinach, which has smaller, more tender leaves.
Raw, it is gentle enough to be the whole base of a salad. Cooked, it changes character fast. A heaped pan of leaves wilts down to a few spoonfuls in about a minute, which surprises nearly everyone the first time. That quick collapse is why cooks toss handfuls into soups, pasta, omelets and curries right at the end, when the leaves only need a moment of heat.
Marking the day usually means eating it, and the options run wide. Some people keep it simple with spinach sauteed in olive oil and garlic. Others fold it into a frittata, layer it into lasagna, stir it into dal, or blend it with fruit, where its color shows up far more than its flavor.
Bunched spinach often carries grit from the field, so it helps to swish the leaves in a bowl of cold water and lift them out, leaving the sand behind at the bottom. Bagged spinach keeps best dry and cold, and leaves that turn slimy are past their time.
Spinach grows best in cool weather, which is why gardeners tend to plant it in spring and fall rather than in the heat of summer.
Ways to celebrate
- Try spinach wilted with garlic and olive oil as a quick side.
- Toss a handful of fresh spinach into soup or pasta at the end.
- Build a salad on baby spinach with fruit, nuts or cheese.
- Look for bunched spinach at a farmers market and compare it with bagged.
- Share a favorite spinach recipe with a friend or neighbor.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday, July 16 |
| 2027 | Friday, July 16 |
| 2028 | Sunday, July 16 |
| 2029 | Monday, July 16 |
| 2030 | Tuesday, July 16 |
Also on July 16
Categories: Food days