The spinach in our demo garden is looking fantastic this week!  And what is amazing is that it was planted mid-October.  After some fall harvesting, it wintered over in a mini-hoop house.  We didn’t harvest much during the Arctic Blast of  ’08, but once the days started lengthening just a bit, they started shooting out some great new growth. 

To celebrate all this delicious spring spinach, this week’s recipe is from Rose Marie Nichols McGee, from her book  The Bountiful Container.  Rose Marie will be here at Farmington Gardens in August, giving a talk on cooking seasonally from your garden, and how to start plans for a fall garden.  We’ll have more info for you a bit later on that great class.

Spinach with Lemon Thyme

• 1 pound spinach
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh lemon thyme
• salt to taste
• juice of one lemon

Rinse the spinach thoroughly and remove any tough stems.  Dry the spinach well in a salad spinner or with paper towels.  Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over low heat.  Add the garlic and saute until it begins to turn golden, then remove; do not let the garlic burn.  Immediately add the spinach and thyme and saute until the spinach turns bright green, about 5 minutes, then drain.  Season the spinach lightly with salt, and place in a hot serving dish.  Sprinkle with the lemon juice and serve at once.