JACKIE FRENCH is the author of The Chook Book (Aird Books). Her oldest chook, Gertie, is now 17. Although Gertie’s sisters have all long since fallen off the perch, Gertie still lays extremely large brown eggs most days of the year. Get in touch with Jackie via facebook.com/authorjackiefrench, twitter.com/jackie_french_ and instagram.com/jackie_french_.
Compost grows the best spinach possible, both in taste and quality of leaf.
I grew up with “spinach”, and yes, the inverted commas are appropriate. It was really silver beet, grown in the Queensland heat, with enormous dark green leaves that were almost as tough as carpet and needed thorough boiling, though possibly
