Not Good Canned : The tender leaves are tastier--and healthier--eaten raw or lightly steamed.

Without a doubt, the tender green spinach leaf has gotten a bad rap through the years. As a child, was there anything more feared at dinner time than a bowl of overcooked, soupy, yet stingy spinach? Things are changing. Spinach has never been more popular than it is today.

According to Carmon Samples, a salesman with Boskovich Farms, the local spinach harvest is one of the largest in California. Boskovich Farms utilizes about 100 acres for their spinach, which, planted from seed, is harvested every 90 to 120 days.

“Ventura County is the main source throughout the fall and winter and into spring,” Samples said. Growers in the cooler Salinas Valley pick up where Ventura County leaves off.

With its popularity on the rise, fresh spinach leaves are being consumed more than ever before, Samples said. Less and less, folks are reaching into the kitchen cabinet for that dreaded can of precooked green goop, the contents of which are responsible for the “spinach stigma.”

“Spinach got its bad image because it was being eaten out of a can,” Samples said. “That’s just a lot of green mush. A big pile on a plate doesn’t have any appeal. Especially to children.”

He suggests tossing raw spinach in salads or steaming it slightly. If you steam or cook spinach, Samples suggested “give it some color.”

“You can add things like red and yellow bell pepper and pimento. Spice it up with color. You can’t just throw a blob on a plate and expect someone to like it.”

Those who dare to cook spinach beware: Georgia Carlson, a Camarillo nutritionist, said if you are eating spinach for its rich nutrients, you should be serving it raw or steamed slightly.

Raw spinach is not only more flavorful, she said, but much better for you. “There is just not a lot of nutrition left in it once you’ve cooked it.”

Renowned for its high iron content, spinach is also a good source of calcium.

“Spinach,” Samples said, “and really all fruits and vegetables are being consumed more than ever. Consumers are becoming more aware of the value of eating things like spinach. We’re going back to the basics.

“Shoppers had been in the habit of stocking up on a lot of canned and processed foods. Now they’re returning to the market once again on a weekly basis to pick these fruits and vegetables up.”

In fact, Samples said, most of Boskovich Farms’ spinach is sold to the more profitable fresh market. “Very little is sold for processing,” he said.

Samples offers these tips when purchasing spinach: “Look for a nice size bunch that’s dark green. Make sure it has texture and body, not limp; that will show its fresh and in good condition.”

Once harvested, he said, spinach will reach most grocery stores in about two or three days. You can expect to dish out about 40 cents for a nice-sized bunch of spinach.

“Locally, you could have it the next afternoon, because we deliver daily to the local chains. But they might take another day to get out to their stores. Once harvested, though, realistically the product’s good about a week to 10 days.”

To keep spinach fresh, “you’re better off to leave what’s unused in an opened plastic bag and put it into the refrigerator crisper,” he said.

SERVING SUGGESTION / SPINACH FLAN

1 1/2 pounds fresh spinach, cleaned

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon milk

Salt, pepper

Dash nutmeg

2 eggs

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

fonduta

4 tablespoons truffle shavings

Place washed spinach with just as much water as is clinging to it in a saucepan, cover and cook until tender, about 1 minute. Drain and squeeze dry. Finely chop. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet or saucepan. Add spinach and saute until wilted. Chill.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and stir in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Gradually add milk. Cook over low heat, stirring until smooth and thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste and nutmeg.

Add sauce to spinach with eggs and Parmesan cheese, mixing until well blended. Spoon spinach mixture into four individual flan molds or round or oval cocotte dishes. Place molds in pan and fill pan halfway up with water. Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 30 minutes or until flan springs back when touched lightly. Do not over- or undercook.

Let rest 10 minutes before inverting onto serving dishes. Spoon fonduta sauce on plate. Arrange flan on sauce, then spoon additional sauce over part of flan. Sprinkle each serving with a tablespoon of truffle shavings. Makes four servings.

Fonduta

1/2 pound fontina cheese

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup milk

Combine fontina cheese, egg yolks, butter and milk in top of double boiler over hot water. Simmer until sauce is thickened, whisking constantly.