Spinach
In season in the Midwest · steady this week
This vegetable is at its local-harvest peak from March through June, and is sold in stores year-round. This week it's in season in the Midwest — buying it in season usually means better quality and, as the regional prices below show, a lower price.
Per a typical 30g serving, scaled from the per-100g figures in USDA FoodData Central (Spinach, raw).
- How to pick a good one
- Deep green, unwilted leaves with no dark translucent patches and no moisture pooling in the bag. Bunched spinach is usually cheaper than boxed baby leaves and has more flavour, at the cost of a proper wash.
- What a good price looks like
- A 5 oz clamshell of baby spinach runs $2.50 to $4, which works out around $8 to $12 a pound — one of the priciest vegetables in the shop by weight. Bunched mature spinach is far cheaper per pound. If it is going into a soup, a lasagne, or a dip, buy frozen and save most of the money.
- What you actually get
- This is the extreme case: 10 oz of raw spinach cooks down to about 1 cup, roughly a tenth of the volume. A large clamshell that looks like enough for six serves two once wilted. For anything cooked, frozen spinach is the same vegetable at a fraction of the price and is already at its cooked volume.
- How to store it
- Refrigerate dry in a container lined with a paper towel for three to five days. It is one of the fastest greens to turn, so buy it close to when you will use it.
- In the kitchen
- Bunched spinach carries grit and needs a proper wash — dunk it in a full basin, lift it out rather than pouring it out, and repeat until the water runs clear. Stem mature spinach by folding the leaf along the rib and pulling. Baby spinach needs neither step. Dry it well before it meets a hot pan, since the water clinging to the leaves is what makes it steam.
- Getting the most out of it
- Spinach loses roughly ninety percent of its volume when cooked, so a pile that looks absurd is about right for two servings. Add it at the very end. Squeeze cooked spinach hard before it goes near pastry or eggs, or the water ruins the texture.
- Meal Prep Breakfast SandwichesRecipe by Pinch of Yum~$0.61 / serving 1 in-season
- 10 Minute White Bean Artichoke Basil ToastsRecipe by Pinch of Yum~$0.68 / serving 3 in-season
- Smoked Salmon Lavash WrapsRecipe by Feasting at Home~$0.71 / serving 5 in-season
- Spinach Artichoke DipRecipe by Spend With Pennies~$0.90 / serving 2 in-season
- Green Mexican Rice with CornRecipe by Pinch of Yum~$0.93 / serving 4 in-season
- Spinach Queso with Crispy JalapeñosRecipe by Pinch of Yum$0.94 / serving 4 in-season
See all 1100 recipes with spinach →Filter by diet, time, budget, and macros.
Price from the USDA National Retail Report. Nutrition per typical serving, computed from USDA FoodData Central.
Spinach — FAQ
When can you buy spinach in season?
This vegetable is at its local-harvest peak from March through June, and is sold in stores year-round. This week the Midwest has spinach marked in season.
What's the price of spinach right now?
As of the week of October 2, 2026, the price of spinach in the Midwest is $1.39/bunch, unchanged from last week. It's cheapest in the Southwest at $1.39/bunch.
How many calories and how much protein are in spinach?
A typical 30g serving of spinach has about 7 calories, 0.9g protein, 1.1g carbohydrates, 0.1g fat, and 0.7g fiber, per USDA FoodData Central.
What can I make with spinach?
SeasonSort indexes 1100 recipes that use spinach, each with its cost per serving computed from this week's prices — starting from about $0.06 a serving. The cheapest are listed on this page, with a link to the full filtered list.