This is Spinach Lovers Month — perhaps the only vegetable made famous by a comic strip. The spinach-eating sailor Popeye first appeared in January 1929 — and soon spinach was the third favorite children’s food — after turkey and ice cream. Several towns proclaim they are the “spinach capital of the world”; among them is Crystal City, Texas, which has a statue of Popeye in front of its city hall and an annual spinach festival. Spinach is now a common ingredient in salads and has a new boost to its image and market share with the news that its lutein content can help prevent macular degeneration. Each year, the spinach crop in the U.S. is worth $204 million. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.