Swiss Chard


I have been gathering Swiss Chard in my garden for months now and it seems endless. I love Swiss chard. You can use them in salads when young and saute’ or stir fry those big leaves. The one variety I have is called Bright Lights because of the different colors of the stem. The leaves stay green and shiny with specks of colors in the petioles and makes it a lively addition to the garden. It is widely used in Mediterranean cooking. They named it Swiss chard to distinguished it from the French spinach. It is also in the family of Amaranth which is very nutritious. It has Vitamins A, C and K and iron which makes the stems red or pink in color. Sometimes it is mistaken for Beets which the roots are the main product.

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