National Spinach Day is on Friday, March 26, 2027, and it falls on March 26 every year. It celebrates the leafy green that shows up in salads, smoothies, dips and spanakopita. Late March is also prime planting time for spinach in much of the country.
When Is National Spinach Day?
It’s always March 26. It’s an unofficial food day, not a federal holiday.
Who Started National Spinach Day?
No founder or start year has been documented.
Background: why Popeye ate spinach
Not for the iron. In his first spinach reference, a 1932 comic strip, Popeye credits vitamin A. He says spinach is “full of vitamin A,” which makes people “strong and hefty,” McGill University’s Office for Science and Society notes.
Spinach doesn’t contain vitamin A itself, but it does contain beta carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.
Where Does Spinach Come From?
Spinach was first grown in Persia, now Iran, more than 2,000 years ago, according to University of Wisconsin Extension. It reached China by the 6th century and Spain around the 11th.
Today, California grows about 65% of U.S. fresh spinach acreage, the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center reports. California, Arizona, New Jersey and Texas together grow 98% of the commercial fresh market crop.
The day celebrates a green that’s easy to grow, cheap to buy and quick to cook.
How to Celebrate National Spinach Day
- Bake spanakopita: layer phyllo with spinach, feta, dill and green onion.
- Make spinach artichoke dip: fold thawed, squeezed-dry spinach into cream cheese, Parmesan and artichokes.
- Cook saag: simmer spinach with garlic, ginger and garam masala, then add paneer.
- Blend a green smoothie: a handful of baby spinach disappears behind banana and pineapple.
- Wilt it fast: toss spinach into hot pasta or soup in the last minute of cooking.
- Plant a row: sow seeds directly in the garden or a deep window box, and pick outer leaves as they grow.
The Spinach Iron Myth
You may have heard that spinach’s iron was overstated because of a misplaced decimal point. That story is itself a myth, chemist Joe Schwarcz writes. It was popularized by a 1977 article that offered no evidence.
Spinach does have some iron, about 6.5 mg per cup cooked and under 1 mg per cup raw. But it’s also high in oxalic acid, which makes that iron harder to absorb.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I plant spinach?
About four weeks before your average last frost. It’s a cool-season crop that grows best at 50°F to 60°F, UW Extension says.
Why does spinach turn bitter in summer?
In warm weather and long days, it bolts, sending up a flower stalk. The leaves turn bitter, so harvest before it gets hot.
Why does a whole bag of spinach shrink so much?
Spinach leaves are mostly water. Heat breaks down the cell walls and releases that water, so a big pile wilts to a small mound.