How to pick good Spinach

How to pick

Look for leaves that are uniformly deep green with no yellowing, no dark brown or black patches, and no translucent wet-looking spots — color is your fastest cue. Lift the bunch or bag and feel whether the leaves hold their shape with a little resistance (fresh spinach is springy and crisp), or collapse limply. For bagged baby spinach, scan through the plastic for dark lesions or any leaves that look slimy and clumped together — once breakdown starts in a bag it spreads fast to the whole batch. Also check that the bag has no pooled water at the bottom; standing moisture accelerates decay significantly. For loose bunches, bring the stem ends close and smell: fresh spinach has a clean, faintly grassy scent; a sour, fermented, or ammonia-like odor signals breakdown even when the leaves still look acceptable.

Red flags

• Yellow or pale-green tinge on any outer leaves — even 1–2 yellowing leaves signal the whole batch is declining
• A bag gone drum-taut together with another sign — pooled moisture, dark lesions, slime. Bagged greens are packed under a gas mix and the leaves keep respiring inside, giving off CO2, so some puffiness is normal and increases with warmth; puffiness on its own is not a fault
• Water pooled at the bag bottom — more than condensation means active cellular breakdown
• Many loose leaves floating free in a sealed pack — stem breakdown has already started
• Any brown or black lesion on a leaf — in a sealed bag, decay spreads to the whole batch within a day

How to store

Refrigerate unwashed at 35–40 °F (1–4 °C) in an airtight bag or container with a dry paper towel to absorb moisture. Use within 3–5 days for loose bunches, 5–7 days for sealed bags. Wash just before use — excess moisture dramatically accelerates decay.

More to pick

Spring Onion Tomato Zucchini Asparagus