Swiss Chard

Cookies plus 022

I like Swiss chard in my garden, not only of the healthful benefits but because it is pretty much easy to plant and grow. It is not finicky like some other plants like lettuce for example where you have to wait till the weather is a little bit cooler before you can plant. This one can thrive even in hot summer days as long as they are well watered. That is why sometimes they are called perpetual spinach. You can practically harvest the nice glossy leaves all year long. The green variety called Fordhook Giant can outlast the multicolored ones called Bright Lights or the red variety called Ruby Chard which the stems look like Rhubarb stems.

Swiss chard although has a slightly bitter taste is widely used in the culinary world especially in Mediterranean cooking. Sicily has been known to be where the old varieties of Swiss chard came from. It is called Swiss chard to distinguish it from the French spinach.

The young leaves of the Swiss chard can be used in salads as baby greens. I use the green leaves as a substitute for pechay or bok choy when I am making beef “nilaga” or beef soup. I make sauteed Swiss chard in olive oil and garlic as a side dish. I also chopped them, blanch, and squeezed to remove excess moisture, then place on top of pizza dough as your greens alongside the other toppings.

Swiss chard has beta carotene and other vitamins and minerals that’s why it is also considered as super food now just like the kale.

Similar Posts

  • Sayote/Chayote

    I have been gathering sayote from my garden for awhile now and I can’t keep up with the fruits. Some are getting mature already and ready to be planted again. Its funny how it gives fruits continuously and then suddenly stops and then continues fruiting again. I have made so many recipes out of these…

  • 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…

  • Arugula

    This is arugula seedlings after a few days of sowing them in the garden bed. They grow faster than lettuce. I like them in salads with different kinds of lettuce to add zing and interest to the palate. It has that distinct peppery flavor almost like radish or wasabi that makes the salad greens more…

  • Bataw/Lablab

    Bataw or Lablab is a relative of the purple-hyacinth bean. It is a very versatile bean because you can use it in almost all type of cooking that requires beans. I particularly like to cook it stirfry with pork and shrimp. It takes a while before the seeds germinate after sowing but when it does…

  • Female Pumpkin Flower

    I just wanted to show how the female pumpkin flower would look like. I had males flower last time I posted and now I am seeing more than one female flowers. I tried to hand pollinate one of the female flower and see how it will react. The flower closed already and now I’m waiting…

  • |

    Breadfruit

    Breadfruit is called ‘rimas’ in the Philippines. It is a fruit and vegetable at the same time. We eat the fruit by boiling or grilling and steaming. My grandma always serve us breakfast of boiled “rimas” and freshly grated coconut with sugar. It’s so tasty and good for your health too. It has a texture…