A VALUABLE FOOD

Gisborne Times, Volume LXX, Issue 11124, 6 February 1930, Page 3

A VALUABLE FOOD

NEW ZEALAND SPINACH,

AMEP, ICAN ‘‘DISCOVERY

Now Zealand spinach, .so culled) is known to many an amateur vegetable' grower in this part of the world as • a delectable green vegetable which has the advantage over other , spiiwC-hes .in that it stands dry weather well and does hot easily run to seed. -R'H.-fehtly New Zealand spinach, Whlfeh i-ehlly is not a spinach >l% all, has lifer-»( “dis--3 coiutvd” 'by thfe FfetidS and Nutri. I tidtl Dep/urunfent of the United States, e.'.haiistively analysed, and highly, landed in the “Journal of Nutrition,” II is, Uppafentiy, an exceedingly valuable article of diet because- ol' Its' high salt content, comparing j favorably with jhost green- vegetables, in its iron and fulcrum content, (Cooked without the addition of water, it retains most Of its minerals, enough being retained, moreover, to make it compare favorably with .raw cabbage or lettuce. ,What js .more, New Zealan. spinach . has bee,n discovered to be exceedingly rich in vitamin A. and is a good source of vitamin i complex. The polite name. for. New. Zealand spinach is Tetragonin expansa, and it is called spinach because it d something like the real spinach in looks and flavor, although it is no real relation. liy many its flavor is preferred to that of real, spinach, and in hot months it is. eertainlv far easier to grow than the majorilv of varieties of real spinach. Ih very hard seeds require ' a ' good soaking before sowing/ • Even then they may Ife dormant for - a long time, suddenly springing up when perhaps their presence in the ground has been forgotten. The acquisition of a few young seedlings ‘ from a kind friend is tire quickest wav ot starting a crop. Each plant should lx; given ample room, for once it is away it is a rampant grower. The tender, rather fleshy, leaves can be picked and picked again, and the drier: the spot where the Tetragoma jjoSfjtan.su, is growing , the more leave* “does it.seem to furnish

“The appearance of New Zealand spinach, its iliivor and composition, are recommendation enougn,” says the “Journal of Nutrition. ’ “It it compared with spinach only because this has previously been shown to bo exceptionally rich in minerals and potent in vitamins. The use ol spinach has been advocated to such an extent that recognition of oihm vegetables with different flavours is needed before unfavourable reaction towards eating spinach becomes too great.” ■ Even when cooked iu a larger volnine of water and drained longei than is customary before serving New Zealand spinach has been iounu by test to be as rich, in mineral salts as' raw spinach, and to bencher .in iron and as high in cal. cimn as lettuce or cabbage served raw. The New Zealand spinach, like spinach, the tests clearly show, is several times as riel# in vitamin as are most green . ioods,. that have been tested, ltats fed daily on a little more than 1.4 grams of New Zealand spinach were found L maintain a constant weight. A\itb ].O grams as a daily ration the\ made a distinct gain in weight, just half as much again as the gain made by rats fed on larger quantities ol of ordinary spinach.