Swiss Chard and Garden Green Bouquets
“Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon. ~Doug Larson
Swiss chard is a mystery vegetable that I have admired at the farmers market but never actually eaten. I absolutely love the colors and textures it produces and so we added it to our garden this year.
It did not disappoint…in fact it is very prolific…and colorful as expected!
Did you know that Swiss Chard is part of the beet family?
According to Wikipedia, it is also called silver beet, perpetual spinach, beet spinach, seakale beet, or leaf beet.
Isn’t it marvelous!!!
Eating greens was not part of my childhood so I was curious how swiss chard was prepared. Most recipes seem to have a general theme of ingredients…olive oil, butter, garlic, onion, and swiss chard. Some also added BACON!
I found a video with Chef Bruce Reizenman that is very informative. I liked his recipe because he added golden raisins and pine nuts!
I gave it a try and this is what it looked like!
Separate stocks from leaves and chop the stocks into small pieces. Saute the stocks in olive oil, butter, garlic, and onions.
Add craisins (or golden raisins) as Chef Reizenman suggested in his video.
Chop chard leaves into medium size pieces and let them cook until tender. Add nuts as desired…I used pumpkin seeds.
It was delicious!
Swiss chard can also be eaten raw in a salad. Use smaller younger leaves for salads. Try this apple walnut salad …it also looks delicious!
You will find more swiss chard recipes here!
If you don’t want to cook your chard…just pop it in a vase and use it as a flower arrangement! The stems add color and the green tops are beautiful just as they are!
Bolted mustard greens
Other garden greens make interesting arrangements too! Especially if they have bolted and you need to cut them back.
Look for a variety of textures and colors…
Wrap them in brown paper and give them to a friend with a juicer!
Or put them in a vase and display them on a table or on a mantle.
mustard greens
parsley
mint