Description
Swiss Chard
Swiss chard, with it’s bright and colorful stems, is one of the most eye-catching greens in the farmers’ market. It can be prepared many ways—the leaves can be cut into ribbons and dressed raw in a salad, sautéed along with its stems or braised in a stew. With hearty leafy greens that don’t easily wilt, you can try swapping it out for kale in your next salad.
Swiss chard is a leafy green vegetable, closely related to beets and spinach. It’s leaves resemble that of its beet cousins, but the most recognizable feature of chard is the color of its stalks; Rainbow chard comes in colors ranging from deep red to bright yellow and orange.
The leaves are often separated from the thick celery-like stems before cooking—but don’t toss out the stems. They have unique qualities of their own and can be cut up for saute, used as veggie sticks for dips and pickled. They take a bit longer to cook, so start them in the pan before adding the leaves. Swiss chard makes a delicious gluten-free side dish packed with nutrients.