Charming Chard

Spinach or Chard

Chard’s Botanical Name

The spinach we usually call spinach is known as Swiss Chard. Its botanical name is Beta vulgaris var. cicla and is a member of the beetroot family.


Growing Swiss Chard

Chard grows all year round in some climates and is very hardy.
Chard is a heavy feeder (it takes a lot of nutrients out of the ground) so it needs a lot of compost, liquid manure and green manure plants, to help keep the soil fertile.
The seeds are very similar to beetroot, with tiny cream spiky-ness all over.
When you plant this ‘spinach’, you can either sow it ‘in situ’ or you can transplant it. Transplanting can slow the growth, so it is better to sow ‘in situ.’
Chard grows well with most vegetables, herbs and flowers. When mature, the older leaves will go yellow if not picked often enough. The yellow leaves can be composted on the spot, giving nutrients back to the soil.
Sometimes you will find that the leaves go spotty, and maybe not so oddly, this is called leaf spot. This shows that there is a deficiency of copper in the soil .
When you harvest the leaves, it is best to pull the whole leaf and stem off from the base. If you cut the leaf off, the part of the stem that is left will prevent new leaves from forming. When an old plant starts to produce lots of small leaves, it is time to pull it out and get some fresh ones started.

Cooking with Swiss Chard

Chard can be used to prepare many delicious dishes. The young leaves in salad are scrumptious. Some people use either the green or the white bits; I like to use the whole leaf and stem, lightly steamed, so as not to lose the flavour. Try this recipe for interesting variety in your diet:
Chard ‘n cheese pancakes

Pancake mixture
2 eggs
1cup flour
2 tablespoons oil
Water

1 Onion
Oil for frying
Bunch of Chard
Feta or Cheddar cheese
2 cloves of Garlic
2 sprigs of oregano

Make the pancake mixture by mixing all the ingredients together and allow to stand for up to one hour.
Chop and fry the onion till light brown. Chop up the chard, and add to the pot, this need to cook for about 5 minutes till soft. Add the chopped garlic and oregano. Switch off the heat and add the Feta or grated Cheddar cheese. Allow to stand while making the pancakes.
Fill the pancakes with the Chard and cheese mixture and enjoy.

Enjoy!