I like produce. I like to grow it. I like to eat it. I like to create recipes with it. I’m also kind of a nerd and like to get to know my produce. I like learning new or fun tidbits of info about the produce I’m growing/eating/baking. If you’re a weirdo like me then buckle up for this new series as I dive into a plethora of produce facts and share them with you.
1. Swiss chard is pretty much the king of nicknames. It’s also known as silverbeet, spinach beet, crab beet, seakale beet, mangold, chard, white beet, perpetual spinach, strawberry spinach, Roman kale or bright lights.
2. It’s pretty bitter if eaten raw but that bitterness can be removed by cooking. That is mostly caused by the oxalic acid in the vegetable. l
3. Speaking of oxalic acid, if you eat large quantities of it {ie. raw chard}, it can cause health issues for some people. Take a hard pass on chard if you suffer from kidney stones!
4. Swiss chard is most popular in Mediterranean countries and still hasn’t truly caught on in the US. {Thank goodness!} 😉
5. These suckers can GROW! Swiss chard plants can grow to 28 inches high. Plus it’s just so pretty to grow in your garden. Not a fact, just an opinion. {I like to grow it for our chickens!}
6. One cup of chopped Swiss chard has just 35 calories and provides more than 300% of the daily value for vitamin K.
7. Chard is known to be a nutritional powerhouse vegetable packed with vitamins, nutrients and health benefits. It helps to regulate blood sugar levels, prevent various types of cancer, improve digestion, boost the immune system, reduce fever and combat inflammation, lower blood pressure, prevent heart disease, increase bone strength and development, detoxify the body, and strengthen the functioning of the brain. Anyone else want a second helping now?
8. Swiss chard is closely related to beets, and actually has the same scientific classification, but beets are usually cultivated for the roots, while Swiss chard is grown for its leaves.
9. All chard varieties are descendants of the sea beet, a wild seashore plant found growing along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Europe and North Africa.
10. Swiss chard also has a huge amount of beta-carotene, which has been linked to healthy eyes and a reduction in macular degeneration, glaucoma, night blindness, and other vision-related conditions {I’d rather wear glasses than eat Swiss chard though}.
Had you heard any of those fun facts before? Do you have any of your own to add? Is there a particular produce item you want to know more about? I take requests!
Grow on,
~ Mavis
Susan says
When I was a kid, I did not like chard. Even though my mom soaked and rinsed it, it always seemed gritty, yuck.
Now, I love it, but one of the best ways I’ve had it was as a tamale wrapping. I saw this demonstrated at a cooking class in CA where the instructor took large chard leaves and notched out the stem, then wrapped masa and a meat filling in the leaf, folded it like a burrito, then steamed the little bundle. It was beautiful, tasty and a fun way to make something ordinary into something special. I’ve tried it at home and it was super simple to do, as long as the leaves are pretty large.
Nancy D says
That sounds fantastic!
Vicki says
I love spinach. I love kale. I have a strong like for collard greens, as long as bacon is involved. However, I do not like chard, and I’ve tried. I don’t know what it is about it – the plants are beautiful and easy to grow, but I just do not like the way it tastes.
I’m a fact nerd, too, and I love reading these posts about produce!
Beryl says
Oh Mavis, now I have to have a very different opinion from yours….I LOVE chard! My mother cooked all greens at home and I love them all. I’ve been gardening all my adult life and always plant Swiss chard, it lasts and lasts when spinach goes to seed in warm weather. Oh well we’re all different aren’t we!!
Rosaleen says
Spinach and Swiss chard have iron and oxalic acid and vitamin C. (As well as other great nutrients.) The oxalic acid can bind the iron so that it is less bioavaliable. If the Vitamin C can be preserved between harvest and eating, it can counteract the effect by helping the iron absorption. Isn’t it cool how Nature can make things work together? C is considered the “Escape Vitamin,” since just exposing food to air can allow its escape. Crazy! Cover these vegetables as they at cooked and consume as close to harvest as possible to optimize their benefits.
Cindi says
I love Swiss chard. And I don’t like Kale and can take or leave spinach. And I love that it grows so well here in Colorado and is easy to freeze to enjoy this winter.
Cindi
Nancy says
I also stand on the side of loving chard. But, I detest kale. I think it is good for nothing but my neighbors chickens. We steam our try then stir fry with a little olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper. I could eat an entire plate. Learned this from my Italian in-laws.
CA says
I love Swiss chard. I first learned to like it when my grandma would sauté it in olive oil and serve it with ‘goop’….basically mayo and catsup mixed together. Yummy! Also, she always made her raviolis with chard, never spinach. They were the best. By the way, she used cow brains in her ravs! Here I am 66 years later still alive and wishing I could have another plate of her raviolis!
Lori Gilmartin says
Hi Mavis,
I know this sounds like a weird suggestion, but an old remedy someone once told me about to quickly dry up poison ivy rash is to use the old fashioned Ban roll on antiperspirant ( if you can find it). Roll it on the blistering area. It worked for me. Toss it out when the rash clears. Also, I’m sure they told you, but make sure all clothing articles (including jackets or articles shared in the hamper).are washed well, or the oils can contaminate you again.
Sorry for your misery,
Lori
Rebecca in MD says
I grew chard for the first time this year. I sauteed it with olive oil, onion, and crushed red pepper and liked it. But, my favorite way to eat chard is to use it in place of cabbage in colcannon, which is basically mashed potatoes with the vegetable mixed in. Try it, it may change your mind about Swiss chard.
Anne says
I was introduced to Swiss chard many years ago, as a combination substitute for spinach and rhubarb. You can use the leaves in most spinach dishes, and substitute the stems of Swiss chard into any rhubarb recipe with great success.
Cass says
Chard sauteed in olive oil with chopped garlic IS THE BOMB. (I buy mine minced in a jar of olive oil so I am more apt to cook with it)
Now that I know how healthy it is I will cook it more often.
(Boiled chard with just butter? YUCK…)