Bulletin Board Contents & Instructions Pgs. 2-3 LARGE Main Title - print and combine for top of bulletin board Pg. 4SMALL Main Title - a smaller option for top of bulletin board Pgs. 5-6 Leaf Decals - Print on a variety of colored green paper, cut out around leaf outlines, add as decoration around bulletin board Pg. 7 Section Title & Pictures - cut out along line and mount on colored paper or adhere directly to bulletin board. Use pictures to embellish section as desired. Pg. 8World Map Pg. 9Country/Recipe highlights - Cut out the descriptions and paste on their location on the world map Pg. 10 Section Title & Picture - cut out along line and mount on colored paper or adhere directly to bulletin board. Use picture to embellish section as desired. Pg. 11Spinach photos to prints and embellish with Pg. 12Planting Instructions Pg. 13 Section Title & Pictures - cut out and color in or mount on colored paper or adhere directly to bulletin board. Embellish as desired. Pg. 14Health facts - cut out and paste creatively or adhere to board as-is EXAMPLE BOARD DESIGN →

Let’s EAT spinach! Photo Credit: High Mowing Seeds

Spinach is enjoyed around the world!

UNITED STATES: Spinach & Strawberry Salad (fresh spinach, sliced strawberries, almonds, and balsamic vinaigrette) IRAN : Borani Esfanaaj Borani Esfanaaj (Iranian yogurt and spinach dip) ITALY: Chicken Florentine (baked chicken on a bed of garlicky, sauteed spinach) INDIA: Palak Paneer (spicy pureed spinach with fried paneer cheese) GREECE: Spanakopita (spinach pie baked with flaky filo pastry, feta cheese, lemon zest, and spinach) JAPAN: Gomae (sesame, soy sauce, and spinach salad) SOUTH AFRICA: Creamed Spinach (cheesy and creamy spinach side dish)

Let’s Grow spinach! Photo Credit: High Mowing Seeds

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS: Grow to harvest in the spring or fall because spinach is a cool-weather crop. Plant in cool, well-drained soil where plants will get 8-10 hours of sun each day. Loosen up the soil really well before you plant the seeds because spinach roots will rot if their soil is too soggy. Plant spinach seeds about ¼ inch deep (just cover them with enough soil so they won’t get blown or washed away), in rows 1 foot apart. Thin them to be 4-6 inches apart when the seedlings are about 4 inches high. Harvest spinach early, as mature plants bolt to seed quickly. Bolding is when they send up flowers out of the top of the plants and the leaves become too bitter to eat. Cut off leaves with scissors, a small knife, or just pinch off with your fingernails. Source: Sow True Seeds and Johnny's Selected Seeds

WHY IS SPINACH GOOD FOR YOU?

Your HEART and blood vessels benefit from the high vitamin K content of spinach Eating spinach regularly can help you achieve the recommended 3 cups of vegetables per day and make you feel great and have lots of ENERGY! Spinach is an excellent source of carotenoids- the precursors to Vitamin A which is necessary for good VISION. Your STOMACH will have better digestion from the fiber found in spinach Spinach contains iron, an element needed to carry oxygen to your MUSCLES. Iron from plants isn't absorbed as well as iron from animal sources but pairing spinach with a vitamin C rich food can give your body an iron absorption boost! Source: Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center