Vol 3-2
Popeye a strongman fueled by Spinach
"Oh, I'm Popeye the Sailor Man,
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man.
I'm strong to the finich
Cause I eats me spinach.
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man."
Popeye is a creation of Elzie Crisler Segar, first debuting in a comic strip in 1929. Popeye and other Thimble Theater characters were adapted to theatrical cartoon shorts in 1933. Popeye was inspired by a real life man named Frank Fiegel. Fiegel was a polish immigrant who worked as a bartender with aspirations to sail the world. Fiegel shared many character traits with Popeye; the pipe, penchant for tussling, thick arms, strong chin, and having one eye larger than the other.
In comic strips, animated shorts, Popeye traveled the world, loved a lady named Olive Oil, and often fought his archrival Bluto. In order to ready himself for a fight or insurmountable obstacle, Popeye was known to take a moment to guzzle a can or two of spinach to boost his power.
The super powers Popeye gained from spinach were a marketing tool to convince children to eat their spinach, but spinach is still regarded as a superfood.
Popeye helped increase spinach consumption in the United States by 33%. Popeye gaining strength from spinach saved spinach farms across the country. In 1937, having been saved from the depression by the sudden uptick in spinach consumption, Crystal City, Texas was proclaimed Spinach Capital of the United States. A statue was erected in Popeye's honor. Still today, Crystal City holds a Spinach Festival every November.
Spinach is native to southwest Asia. There is evidence that spinach has been cultivated for 2000 from Persia to China. Spinach traveled along the Silk Road from it's native area to Spain, thanks to the Arabs and diversity of Spain during this era, by the 11th century.
Spinach made its way across Europe to colder countries by the 14th century, in time to make the voyage with early expeditions to North America. With much of North America sharing a similar climate to China, where spinach is native, spinach quickly became widely cultivated. Across the globe, different varieties have become popular based on the local palette, traditions, and climate.
Spinach, through centuries and across the globe, has been known to be very nutritious. Even without the help of Popeye's waning popularity, spinach continues to be considered a superfood. Spinach is linked to health benefits such as improved eyesight, cancer prevention, and blood pressure regulation. Leafy greens, like spinach, are packed full of great nutrients like Vitamins A & C, iron, folate, and potassium.
Spinach seeds are great for early spring sowing. Spinach can be sewn up to 6 weeks before the last frost. Spinach can be used as a ground cover to quickly germinate and protect the growing medium from wind erosion.
Good News
The garden is open!
We are ready for the 2022 growing season in our award winning garden. We hope you are ready to work your green thumb. If you'd like help getting started, please plan to be in the garden during while the Support Crew will be available to help:
Sunday, May 1st: 9AM-11AM
Thursday, May 5th: 4PM-6PM
Getting Started:
Carefully remove the black row cover from your plot. Be sure to remove all of the staples so they do not rust in the spring and summer rain.
Say hello to any volunteers already growing in your plot, trim back anything you don't want to keep. Trim about an inch above the medium to keep the root structure intact. This will help with erosion in the wind.
Decide if you need to top off your plot. If so, follow these steps:
Add perlite: the lightweight white material
Evenly sprinkle growing the nutrient rich "espresso" medium across your entire plot.
Cover your plot with mulch. The mulch will hold down the bottom two layers and protect the root balls of your seeds, seedlings, and plant.
Add a bit of osmocote, fertilizer grains, around new plants needing a growth booster.
Sow seeds, transplant seedlings or mature plants.
Cover your plot with the white row cover. Cut holes for any mature plants to stand through. Seedlings will be protected from wind and extreme weather under the row cover.
Staple row cover in place. Double the fabric where staples are placed for a better hold. At least four staples per side is recommended.
Give your plot a hearty watering. The permeable layer at the bottom of your garden box will allow excess water to drain through.
Building Community
The goal to foster personal connections is highlighted in the mission statement of the Imperial Towers Community Garden. In order to do so, we hope to facilitate many opportunities to share about yourself and learn about fellow gardeners. All gardeners, especially those who are new this year, are invited to submit a Gardener Spotlight. Those who have previously submitted a Spotlight may update or resubmit their responses. The questionnaire can be copied into an email and submitted to imperialtowerscommunitygarden@gmail.com.
Gardener Spotlights will be highlighted in our monthly newsletter.
In addition, Join us on Facebook!
Your community cannot wait to meet you.
Fresh from the Garden Recipes -
Spanakopita
Ingredients:
2 pounds spinach, rinsed and chopped
8 sheets phyllo dough
1 large onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup ricotta cheese
⅓ cup olive oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cloves garlic, minced
Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a 9” pie dish, cake pan, or springform pan pan.
2) Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté chopped onion, green onions, and garlic in the hot oil until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and parsley, and cook another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
3) Mix feta cheese, ricotta cheese, and eggs in a medium bowl until well combined. Stir in spinach mixture.
4) Lay sheets of phyllo dough one at a time in the bottom of the oiled dish or pan. Lightly brush each with olive oil. Rotate sheet as you layer to create a beautiful swirling pattern. The ends of each sheet should overhang the edge of the dish or pan by a few inches.
5) Spread spinach and cheese mixture into the pan. Fold any overhanging dough over the filling and brush the top with oil. These folds will brown beautifully while it bakes.
6)Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
Serve Hot
*most freezer section phyllo dough is vegan. Swap vegan feta or your favorite substitute for a vegan variation.
Ask Rose
Dear Rose,
I want to harvest as many tomatoes as possible from my plot this summer. I'm planning on trying out a few varieties. Can I plant tomato seedlings when I open my plot?
Please help!
-Totally Tomatoes
Dear Totally Tomatoes,
There's nothing like enjoying a vine ripened tomato straight from your own garden. Tomato planting season is just around the corner, but we are not there yet. Tomatoes are a warm weather plant. They do not tolerate frost well. If your tomato plants have a rough start, they may actually take longer to launch into full fruit production.
Your best bet is to wait a few weeks before bringing plants home from the greenhouse (it's too late to start tomatoes from seed, unless your just happy for the experience). Planting after Memorial Day will give your tomatoes a better chance for frost-free growing. Alternatively, if you have a sunny windowsill or balcony, you could keep them inside or where you can keep an eye on them until it is time to transfer them to the garden. If you do keep them on a balcony, be conscious of the wind and overnight low temperatures. They may need extra support or to be indoors overnight.
You may wish to consider getting your plot started with a bed of tomato's favorite companion plants.
Basil, arugula, parsley, marigolds, carrots, chives,
cosmos, sage, and thyme can all be sewn from seed as early as opening day.
A blanket of companion seedlings will create the perfect environment for your tomato plants when it's time to transfer them to your plot. You may find companion planting not only adds to the variety of plants in your garden, but also helps the tomato plants to thrive.
For an early planting guide, read the April Newsletter.
Cheers to successful growing,
Rose
Find more helpful hints for opening your garden on our Resources page.
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