Giant Noble

Giant Noble produces large, deep green leaves with thick, tender tissue and rounded tips, capable of stretching to about 25 inches long. The leaves are smooth-textured and easy to clean, a hallmark of the smooth-leaf spinach type it represents. It can be picked young for baby spinach or left to reach full size, where the leaves stay sweet even as plants grow up to 20 inches tall. An upright growth habit keeps the foliage off the soil, keeping leaves clean and simplifying harvest.

Giant Noble's substantial leaves make it a versatile kitchen spinach, with a mild, slightly sweet flavor and a tender yet sturdy texture that works both raw and cooked. Fresh, the large leaves can serve as a bed for salads, be torn into mixed greens, or wrapped around fillings, while cooking brings out a savory flavor and lets the thick leaves hold their structure in sautés, steamed sides, pasta sauces, omelets, frittatas, and soups. The leaves hold up well through a long summer harvest, and the variety is well suited to canning or freezing, allowing an abundant crop to be preserved and enjoyed well past the growing season.

Giant Noble is regarded as a strong choice for home gardens and, under good growing conditions, ranks among the fastest-growing spinach crops. It is a slow-bolting variety, giving heavy yields of thick, dark green leaves when planted in late spring, and its bolt resistance and mild heat tolerance extend the picking window even as temperatures rise. That same cold-hardiness suits it to cool spring and fall gardens, and in mild climates it can be grown through winter, with its broad leaves speeding up the harvest of a full bowl of spinach.

Giant Noble is a heirloom variety introduced in 1926, also known as Long-Standing Gaudry. It was already established enough by 1936 to appear in a national seed catalog description of the plant. Introduced in the 1920s, it has remained a popular spinach choice for gardeners ever since.