I grow Swiss Chard in my garden every year, it stands perfectly tall and firm its beautifully rainbow colored stems and green leaves with colored veins brighten whatever area it is planted in! It does not have too many pests, and of course I grow it organically! I absolutely love eating it, it is not as tough as some other greens (ex. Kale) so it can be added to a salad, and wilts almost immediately when sauteed making it a fast addition to any meal. It has an earthly flavor thanks to all the minerals it absorbs from the soil. Because of my intense love for Swiss Chard as well as my families, I have quite a collection of recipes that incorporate it into fabulous delectable healthy meals. I usually share how to grow something in my blog and then describe recipes and nutrition last, even if you do not want to grow Swiss Chard I want you to try it. That is the reason I am going to try to get you to love Swiss Chard by starting off on its composition of vital nutrients compared to other greens and believe me “variety is the spice of life”, so please do not limit yourself to only Kale because of the media associated with it! Almost every time I pick Swiss Chard at the supermarket I am asked “How do you cook it?” by someone and after I explain how including a few recipes that person always grabs a bunch of Swiss Chard!
Swiss Chard (Beta Vulgais cicla) originated in Sicily, it was called Silverbeet, renamed Swiss Chard in the 19th century, to differentiate it from French spinach, called “Carde”. It is cold tolerant biennial, producing seeds the second season of growth. Grown throughout the Mediterranean before being grown in Southern Europe and England, and USA (the farm production was established in the USA after the Civil War). It related to beets and spinach and all are part of the Amaranthaceae family. Cultivated for its broad leaves and leaf stalks (peticoles), entire plant is edible so please do not discard the stems!
Nutritional Benefits
Aside from spinach and broccoli, Swiss Chard ranks high in essential minerals, it has a high amount of magnesium, iron, manganese, copper, and potassium, a good amount of calcium, phosphorus, and zinc. A total of over 80 nutrients, hardly any calories, low in carbs, and no fat. It contains most B vitamins, that are helpful in processing sugars and studies have shown that Swiss chard can improve blood sugar regulation and insulin secretion and is high in phytonutrients, its flavonoids include catechin, epicatechin, myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, and rutin. One apigenin flavonoid called vitexin has been studied for its anti-cancer properties, these flavonoids have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In the red, purple, orange, and yellow colored Swiss chard contain betalain pigments which are able to scavenge free radicals. Swiss Chard extracts help reduce blood pressure and lower LDL cholesterol. In the future Swiss Chard may help with treatment of neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and senile dementia) because extracts in animals have inhibited enzyme acetylcholinestrase. That’s certainly a mouthful of health!
Growing Swiss Chard
Have I convinced you to try Swiss Chard now? I certainly hope so, now I want to tell you how easy it is to grow, and would encourage you to grow it! Swiss Chard does well in full sun or partial shade, and prefers loose fertile organic soil (pH 6.0 -6.8). I plant my varieties of Swiss Chard seeds directly in the garden after the last frost because two varieties I grow (Ruby and Rhubarb) are prone to bolting if exposed to freezing. I also plant Fordhook which does not bolt, and Rainbow Bright Lights which has a mild flavor. Seeds are larger and easy to handle so they can be perfectly placed, where you want your plants to grow. I do not over plant and thin, if one does not germinate, I simply plant another seed. Swiss chard is a multiple seed, one to six plants may emerge from each seed. Seeds usually last for four years, so I find it a waste of seeds when you over plant in the home garden.
The tall (about 2 feet high) plants spread is about 0.5 to 2 feet so plant seeds about 10 inches apart cover with about a half inch of soil and in about 7 days they will emerge. Make sure they receive about an inch of water per week, do not worry when on a hot day the leaves are wilted they will revive themselves after the sun sets as long as they have moisture in the soil. I grow my Swiss Chard every year in both city and country gardens. Swiss Chard surrounded the pathway to my garden, laying out a colorful path, like a red carpet for a Garden Star! I grew it with my tomatoes, peppers, and scallions other good companion plants include anything in the Brassia family (Cabbage, broccoli, bok choy, etc), Allium family (onion, leek, garlic), carrots, peas, lettuce, and celery. If you grow Alyssum flowers next to Swiss Chard it attracts hover flies which are beneficial insects eating aphids which may attack the chard. It does not like most herbs (except mint), potato, corn, cucumbers, and melons. Aphids, cabbage worms, beet leaf miner, and flea beetles can be a problem for Swiss Chard. Aphids can be washed off with a spray of water, the others may be hand picked off the plants. Squirrels at the end of the season sometimes ate a few leaves (yes they left the stems) but not many. Both my gardens are completely organic and I only add my homemade compost, you must be sure that where you grow your Swiss Chard is not a contaminated area, because Swiss Chard pulls everything out of the soil and you would not want to eat the chard if it has toxins. (This happened when some city lots that may have been dumping grounds produced toxin filled vegetables when converted to gardens). This is another reason why I try to grow as much of what I can and not buy from unknown sources. It is in the top dirty dozen foods so if buying from the supermarket, it should only be organic and from the USA. Also Swiss Chard is perishable, like other raw fresh greens, and is more prone to pathogens such as coli, Listeria, and Salmonella, all the more reason to grow it yourself! Swiss Chard is easy to grow, neat in the garden, prolific, has a long harvest season, hardly any pests, can be grown in containers. It will grow in the garden from spring until fall tolerating moderate frost. In the fall I transfer the Swiss Chard roots from the garden to a strawberry planter to continue growing them on my porch and harvesting through the winter for delicious meals.
Harvesting
I harvest my leaves, using a scissor, by cutting the stems of the larger leaves (usually the outer ones) a few from each plant about 1 inch from the ground, avoiding damaging other stems/leaves, as the plant will continue to produce new leaves. Harvest often so the plant will continue to produce to fall. You can also harvest the entire plant it will grow again, but will take more time to produce large leaves. If you do cut the entire plant (as I do in the fall leaving only a few center leaves to plant in a container and bring in) the plant will continue to produce. I always try to harvest in the morning before the heat of the day. Having about 12 plants provides me with enough Swiss Chard (and enough to share) for the entire season, which lasts into fall. It’s best to harvest the day you plan on using it, I do prefer to harvest in the morning before the heat of the day. If not using it right away place in bag removing as much air as possible, and place in the refrigerator for a 1-2 weeks. When ready to use the Swiss chard I give the leaves/stems a cold water rinse, you do not have to submerge them in water unless you have a lot of dirt on them, and if you have to do it quickly you do not want them to absorb too much water (reducing the natural flavor). I place mine in a huge big clean colander and place a clean cotton dishtowel over the colander and give a shake to remove the excess water. If extra, place it in plastic bag sealing to about an inch and turning it upside down to drain the remaining water, remove as much air seal and place in the refrigerator for next use, but not too long because exposure to water does encourage spoilage. Store at 40 F or lower. If you have too much to use you can blanch the leaves and freeze them.
Using Swiss Chard
I used the leaves as I would any other green and yes I use the stems! The stems are tougher (Forkhook stems are tender) than the leaves so if sautéing I add the stems first to a pan with olive oil, cook for about 2-4 minutes before adding the leaves, garlic and spices. Swiss Chard does contain a high amount of organic acid called oxalate, 200-640 mg in 3.5 ounces. Spinach (750-800 mg) and beet greens (600-950 mg) contain more. The younger leaves have less quantity of oxalates than larger leaves, while stems and stalks have much less. Some individuals with certain medical conditions do not want to consume too many oxalates. If you want to reduce the acid you can boil stems (less than an inch) and leaves in a large pot of water (3 Quarts) for 3 minutes, if stems are larger add to the pot separately 2 minutes before. Boiling reduces the slight bitter taste and some of the acid quantity (5-15%), however it also drains the nutrients and vitamins. For this reason if you do not have a problem with oxalates you can use and consume Swiss Chard without boiling in the following recipes.
RecipesAs described above simple sauté or blanching is the easiest way to eat Swiss Chard, if you find it too bitter for your taste a pinch of sugar or small amount of any other sweetener takes the bitter edge off. Think Italian (garlic), Asian (garlic, soy, hot pepper), Greek (lemon and feta), raw in a salad with honey Dijon with walnuts, served as a crostini, mixed with pasta or beans, creamed, or add cheese for a gratin. The possibilities are endless, but here are a few of my absolute favorites.
Baked Swiss Chard Stems
I cut the stems about an inch long mix with extra virgin olive oil, chopped garlic, little salt and pepper and put in the oven to roast. Usually along with something else I am preparing so 350 F for about 8 minutes.
Swiss Chard Rolls Stuffed with Turkey
Spicy Swiss Chard
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aaron-mccargo-jr/spicy-swiss-chard-recipe-1945428
The flavors together in this recipe are outstanding and all work together to please the palate. It is phenomenal! Making it over the years I have opted to use lasagna noodles and layer the filling between or stuff shells with the filling and bake to warm if limited on time.
Swiss Chard-Fava Bean Ravioli with Pecorino and Chestnut Honey
Swiss Chard Pasta
Cook a pound of pasta. While pasta is cooking, add about 5 Tbsp to a deep skillet add 1 chopped onion and red pepper flakes (to taste), cook until onions brown slightly. Add 1 cup of chopped fresh tomatoes, 1lb of chopped Swiss Chard leaves (save stems for another use), add 5 cloves of chopped garlic, and 2 Tbsp of capers and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the pasta add it to the skillet. Add about a cup of grated Parmesan cheese and mix well. Serve and top with more Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh Basil leaves.
Swiss Chard Stem Gratin
In an oven proof pan, saute some garlic in a little butter until aromatic. Add leftover Swiss chard stems (you can also add leaves) put in enough half and half to cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Sprinkle pepper, parmesan, and panko bread crumbs on top and broil until brown.
Sources
whfoods.org
chopra.com
fsi.colostate.edu
Be First to Comment