Spinach Handbook

Post-Harvest Procedures

Harvest
The spinach crop is harvested on Day 33. The individual spinach plants should weigh 3 ounces (90 grams) at this point in the production cycle

The spinach plants are removed from the NFT troughs and from the rockwool cube at the crown. They are either packaged directly or placed in a cooler for packaging later. Packaging is determined by the grower and the consumer. A number of different forms of packaging are available. The technical details of harvesting depend on the type of packaging used.

Storage
Proper post-harvest storage is vital in spinach production. Damage to the crop at this stage can easily occur if the product is not placed directly into the cooler after harvest to remove the heat from the crop. Ideal conditions for storage are in a 1^oC (34^oF) cooler. With daily transport of the product to market, the spinach may remain in the cooler for less than one day, but should be cooled for at least 12 hours to remove the heat from the crop. For highest quality, the spinach should be moved to market almost immediately. Unfortunately, conditions within the produce department is often not optimum for relatively fragile leaf crops. Low quality tends to prejudice the consumer against these fresh crops. Properly refrigerated spinach will retain high quality for at least 7 days. The cooler should be kept at a high humidity level to avoid desiccation of the spinach.

Transportation
The harvested product should be cooled before shipping. To ensure a high quality product upon arrival at the market, the product must be transported in a refrigerated vehicle.