I'm Popeye The Sailor Man

I would say there is an awful lot of propaganda today, but there was some of that when I was younger, too.  Take for instance, Popeye the Sailor Man.  We'd watch cartoons and it blew my mind how Popeye's success was tied to... spinach!  When he needed strength or to help Olive Oil, he'd pull out a can of spinach, squeeze it, and the spinach would go into his pipe.  Soon, with bulging forearms, he was able to handle anything.  Spinach gave him strength and who wouldn't want to be like Popeye?  He didn't have to work out or be particularly healthy.  He just had to eat spinach at critical times to get the results he needed.

Image Credit

As a child I remember this can in our pantry...

Image Credit

Also Del Monte had cans of spinach.  Mom had some of this in the pantry.  Of course spinach is healthy, but canned spinach is not the way you want to eat it.  You want to eat it fresh out of the garden. We grow an heirloom French variety, Monstrueux de Viroflay.  The leaves are big and bright green.  You just know its healthy for you.

For supper the other night, Tricia asked me to pick a pound of spinach.  The spinach leaves were big and thick with almost a leather-like feel to them.  The wife was going to make Cream of Spinach soup.  It's a simple dish, with fresh ingredients: Spinach, onion, garlic, broth, and cream.  You can see old Rosie in the background.  I fed her some spinach so she wouldn't feel left out.

The spinach wasn't picked for 10 minutes before it was processed and cooking in a dutch oven on the stovetop.  What a brilliant green color it is!

We've go lots more spinach to harvest.  Tricia pulled out a recipe for Creamed Spinach.  Perhaps we'll have this soon!  Ruth's Chris Steakhouse has this as a side dish.  It is rich, cheesy, and delicious.  I also found a recipe for spinach and cream cheese crepes.  We've never cooked that and the recipe looks really good.  If spinach does make you stronger, we'll be beneficiaries of that strength because we have lots of spinach to eat.  None of it will be coming from a can!