Spinach Harvest

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The harvest of the winter coastal spinach variety called Pohangcho is in full swing along the east coast in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. We take you there in our next report.

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Green spinach grows on fields overlooking the East Sea. This is Pohangcho spinach that has survived cold ocean winds throughout the winter. They are short due to the strong gusts, but they are famous as a high-quality spinach with an exceptionally sweet flavor.

[Soundbite] Park Dae-wi(Spinach Farmer) : "With its red roots, spinach produced here is exceptionally sweet and rich in various minerals and nutrients. It is the most nutritious food of the season."

The harvest of Pohangcho spinach begins around this time of year, some two months after they were planted in October of the previous year. The spinach is shipped to regions nationwide, including the capital area. Double-cropping has been successfully implemented in areas near Homi Cape, the easternmost tip of the Korean Peninsula. The method involves planting spinach seedlings in harvested rice paddies where drainage channels have been installed.

[Soundbite] Kim Yoon-hwan(Pohang Agricultural Technology Center) : "Rice is harvested earlier, and the paddies are turned into fields in a month by digging deep drainage channels. Spinach is planted in November and harvested in the spring."

The yearly harvest of Pohangcho spinach amounts to about 3,000 tons, accounting for 40 percent of the nation's total spinach production. Thanks to its sweet flavor and characteristic freshness, Pohangcho spinach is becoming a major source of income for farmers in the eastern coastal regions of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province in the winter.