Again, hardly any costs associated. I grow chard and spent maybe $2 on the packet of seed. I keep cutting and it keeps growing. I cannot imagine how many dishes I’ve gotten from the HALF packet of seeds I planted, and I’ve shared with neighbors as well. Where I live, I can grow chard nearly year-round so I just wait until a short row (3′) of plants has exhausted itself, then start another row.
I have several good recipes, including this gratin, this with tomatoes, and this from a friend. My girls prefer the leaves to the stems but I try to use both. If nothing else, you can always add chard to soup for a healthy addition. I think the stems add a bit more “earthy” flavor. They need to be cooked a little longer than the leaves.
Tonight I cooked this recipe from Beyond Salmon: Technique of the Week: How to cook swiss chard. I added a bit of minced garlic. The girls were so-so, but ate it. I thought it was great.
Chard is doing exactly the same in our garden. I’ll try some of those recipes – thanks.
I had the same thing happen with my spinach this year. It seemed like my garden had to be full of it! Lucky for me, my 13 year old son loves to go out and eat it fresh picked. I don’t think I’d have been able to handle it all if he hadn’t eaten as much as he weeded!
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