Rainbow Swiss Chard

One of my favorite things that we grow is Swiss Chard.  This year we are growing a variety called Rainbow Chard.  Here is a picture of a sink full of it that I washed for the farmers' market last week.

Notice how big the leaves are and how the stems differ in color.  In fact, there are several colors hiding in there.  To show this, I separated out the different colors that were in this bunch and laid them on a towel.

These actually represent four different cultivars.  The seed companies mix the seeds from the individual cultivars to form the "rainbow" mix that you see here.

In addition to being pretty, chard is very nutritious containing significant amounts of vitamins A, K and C.  It is also rich in minerals, dietary fiber and protein.

Chard is in the beet family.  But, over the centuries, it has been bred to have highly nutritious leaves at the expense of its root, making the root undesirable to eat.

Chard can be cooked in soups, sauteed or stir-fried.  The stems take longer to cook than the rest of the leaf, so if you are going to cook the chard, you should chop the stems up separate from the leaves and cook them a little longer.  Here is a simple recipe for sauteed chard:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sauteed-swiss-chard-with-parmesan-cheese/

Chard can also be eaten raw and makes a pretty addition to salads when torn into bite-size pieces.  Save the stems to add to soups.