You may have noted we discontinued the Swiss Chard a couple of weeks ago. For some it was probably a “Thank God-AT LAST!” For others it was a passing not noted. BUT, Thursday when harvesting the last of the early cabbage, I wandered upon the Swiss Chard row. What previously had been a tired, picked over row of straggly and broken leaves, had sprung alive anew! I was amazed at the resiliency of the chard, but then reminded of the importance of greens in our own bodies–
Here is a paragraph from http://www.lloydcraftfarms.com on the VEGGIES PAGE:
ALL LEAFY GREEN VEGETABLES: “One of our most powerful allies in cleansing the liver, leafy greens can be eaten raw, cooked or juiced. Extremely high in plant chlorophylls, greens literally suck up environmental toxins from the blood stream. With their distinct ability to nuetralize heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides, these cleansing foods offer a powerful protective mechanism for the liver.” (www.globalhealingcenter.com)
Chard has been our ally in this first year of our Adventure–no matter what the weather, hot and windy, or hot and sultry, or just plain stifling hot–the chard was there. Week upon week, upon week…it was our ‘Thank God-AT LAST’… When the lettuce was attacked by the cabbage loopers–the chard was there. When the weather was too hot for lettuce germination and feared too hot for tender seedlings to survive–the chard was there. While baby leaf spinach takes an unbelievable amount of time to cut, sort, weigh, and bag; the chard accomplishes the same in a tenth of the time–which works well when you are putting out a large variety of veggies!
With that said, we will be making Swiss Chard available as an OPTION at each pick-up. However, it is (like all leafy greens) very perishable–once picked it needs a cool refrigerator home. We absolutely have mental issues when we have to throw away food–it is the fruit of our labor. So, short of asking for orders (which is not workable with our busy schedule), or forcing you to ‘accept’ the chard (like forcing you to buy insurance), I will have 15-20 bundles available each week on a first-come-first-serve basis. As always, interested in any feedback—!
BTW–chard can be chopped up in ribbon strips for salad, younger leaves can be added in entirety. Chard can be baked in casseroles, fried with potatoes (my favorite), boiled and served with vinegar, or frozen! I do not have recipes posted on the RECIPE page for Chard, BUT there are three links after the Table of Contents which list other recipe sites–I know one in particular is loaded with Swiss Chard options.
Good food for good health–The-at-the-moment, Tired and Picked Over Farmer’s Wife