It's the rich green leaves of this plant that are eaten, both cooked and raw. They grow from a deep taproot, producing clumps of erect, fleshy stems. English spinach is either picked when young (Baby Spinach) or allowed to mature to its full size as English Spinach. It is one of the most nutritional veggies you can grow being chock full of iron, chlorophyll (for red blood cell production), and antioxidants. It is alsohas the highest protein content of any vegetable.