Spinach and blites
Spinach and the closely related blites are leafy greens in the Amaranth family, Amaranthaceae. Together they make up the Anserineae tribe in the subfamily Chenopodioideae.
Spinach is by far the best-known and most commonly cultivated species, but all of these plants make excellent cooking greens that grow freely and easily in our climate. Strawberry blite and leafy blite also produce odd red fruits that can be eaten as a vegetable as well.
Species
Spinach
Cultivated spinach (Spinacia oleracea)
Blites
Good-King-Henry (Blitum bonus-henricus)
Strawberry blite (Blitum capitatum)
Leafy blite (Blitum virgatum)
Povertyweed (Blitum nuttallianum)
Spinach
Cultivated spinach, Spinacia oleracea, has long been thought to have been first cultivated in Persia over 2,000 years ago. Recent studies, however, seem to point to it having its origins near Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, in Central Asia. From there, it spread to China via Nepal by the 7th century. Spinach was likely brought to Europe by the Moors in Spain, with the earliest reference found from the 11th century. Europeans later brought the plant with them to North America.
Varieties can be grouped into two main types: smooth or savoy. Savoy spinaches have crinkly leaves. The smooth types grow faster and easier to clean for large-scale processing, so are often used for freezing and canning. The savoy types, on the other hand, have superior flavor and contain less oxalic acid (see “Cooking with spinach” section). Semi-savoy varieties fall in the middle.
The baby spinaches sold in many grocery stores today are smooth-leaved varieties produced in Central and Southern California. These crops are heavily reliant on pesticides and inputs for a quick turnaround and constant production. Often used raw in salads, they are one of the crops with highest levels of pesticide contamination, along with strawberries.
Spinach is a cool-season crop and can be harvested at various times in the year. There are late spring and summer varieties, which are slower to bolt (flower and seed), as well as fall and winter varieties. Fall varieties are harvested in mid to late fall. They can also be overwintered in our milder regions (Northwest Coast and Northern California). Spinach is cold-hardy and will lie dormant over winter, though it might take a beating from the weather and look a little ragged by the end of the season. After winter, growth picks back up and leaves can be harvested in early spring. The leaves can even be cut in fall before the plant goes dormant, as long as the roots and crown are left intact.
Cold-weather crops tend to taste better than summer crops because cold weather causes the plants to increase their sugar content. The sugars act as an “anti-freeze” that protects them from the cold. As such, I prefer to consider spinach a fall, winter, and early spring crop.
Oxalic acid
Like rhubarb and sorrel, spinach often contains high levels of oxalic acid. Oxalic acid can cause an unpleasant drying sensation in your mouth. To counter this, it’s best to blanch the greens in hot water and squeeze the excess water out before using it in a dish.
Wild relatives
The genus Spinacia includes two other species, Spinacia turkestanica, from Central Asia, and Spinacia tetrandra, from the Caucasus Mountain region. Neither is found in North America. Recent phylogenetic research has shown that S. turkestanica is likely the ancestor of cultivated spinach.
Blites
Blites are from the genus Blitum, which is closely related to the genus Spinacia. The genus includes 12 species, of which a handful are of interest.
The best-known blite is Blitum bonus-henricus (previously included in the genus Chenopodium), commonly known by the peculiar moniker “Good-King-Henry”. The name comes from Germany, where it was called "Guter Heinrich” (Good Henry) to distinguish it from a poisonous plant called “Böser Heinrich” (Bad Henry). The word “King” was added later, in England.
Good-King-Henry is a perennial plant native to the mountains of central and southern Europe, and has naturalized throughout Europe and northeastern North America. The plant was once commonly grown in Europe as a garden vegetable, but is now more likely to be found in the wild. It should succeed in most of the Pacific Northwest as it is a cold-hardy mountain plant.
The shoots and flower buds of the plant can be eaten in spring. The spinach-like leaves can be harvested soon after, in late spring and early summer, when they are still tender. Older leaves become bitter. The seeds are edible and similar to quinoa (also in the Amaranth family).
Strawberry blite (Blitum capitatum) is native to most of North America and is found throughout the Pacific Northwest, especially in the Inland Northwest and Northern California in moist mountain habitats. The plant has leaves that can be used like Good-King-Henry, but also produces interesting red fruits that can be eaten as a vegetable (they don’t taste like strawberries). Leaves are best eaten in spring and the fruit is ready in late summer.
Leafy blite (Blitum virgatum) is the European counterpart to strawberry blite. It has a similar appearance and the same type of fruit. It’s used the same way as strawberry blite. It has been introduced to North America and is naturalized in the same areas B. capitatum is found.
Povertyweed (Blitum nuttallianum) is a widespread annual plant that is found throughout North America. It’s originally from the western side of the continent but has expanded its range east with human activity. Apparently all parts of the plant are edible, but the young leaves are the main attraction.
