In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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April 9, 2007

Chard

The chard has grown quickly, and its bright red stems and red veined leaves give the garden a festive look. I’ve always dismissed it as an ornamental vegetable, pretty to look at, but with few uses, not anything I’d add to my repertoire of favorites. But there it was in the nursery when I was looking for plants to include in the raised bed, and it was so pretty.

I’ve since discovered some things about chard I never knew. It’s in the spinach family, and closely related to beets (its scientific name is Beta vulgaris var. cicla). Also called Swiss chard, leaf beet and spinach beet, it has less oxalic acid and less water in the leaves than spinach, so it doesn’t shrink as much when cooked. Nor does it take calcium from the body like vegetables high in oxalic acid. There's only 18 calories in 3/4 of a cup, and it's high in vitamin A.

Chard is a biennial, so it will flower in its second year, then set seed and die. A tough plant, it can withstand both summer heat and light frosts.
In their book “The Gardener’s Table,” (Ten Speed Press, 2000, 468 pages) authors Richard Merrill and Joe Ortiz write the “young tender leaves can be eaten raw, but older leaves need cooking…Stalks can be prepared by themselves like asparagus. The leaves can be steamed, stir-fried, braised or baked. Use them in soups, pasta dishes, omelets, or as a spinach substitute.”

The book gives this recipe for chard with olive oil, garlic and balsamic vinegar:
Sauté four to six cups chopped wet chard until wilted.
Remove from pan and squeeze out excess liquid.
In the same pan heat one tablespoon each of olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and minced garlic.
Add the chard to the pan and sauté a few minutes to combine flavors and slightly cook the garlic.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

So I’ve decided chard isn’t just a pretty face.

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