Rainbow Swiss chard adds bright color to stir-fries and vegetable side dishes.
Swiss chard is a green that grows well during the hot summer months, usually without turning bitter. Any bitterness will only be in the mature outer leaves and disappears when they are cooked. When sweltering summer weather passes, the large outer leaves will loose their bitterness and they’ll begin to grow sweet and succulent again.
Thought to originate in Sicily, the original varieties of Swiss chard had white stems, but in recent years new varieties have been developed with stems of bright colors, such as the rainbow Swiss chard in the photo at right. Even the leaves can have a slight purple tinge.
Swiss chard was originally called “Swiss” because seed catalogs in the 19th century wanted to distinguish it from French spinach. Botanically it is called Beta vulgaris flavescens and is a member of the same family as beets. Essentially it’s a beet without a root.
Plant Swiss chard, rainbow or otherwise, in mid to late spring. Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep and an inch apart in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. When the young plants are about three inches high, thin to stand about 4 to 6 inches apart. For intensive spacing plant them 6 to 8 inches apart in all directions. It’s not overly fussy about the fertility of the soil.
If you’re a lazy gardener (like me), Swiss chard will be a good friend to your garden. It withstands neglect and will even grow during droughts.
You can start harvesting the leaves at any size. Tender young leaves can be added to salads or stir-fries. Larger more mature leaves should be cut from the outside of the plant and the new leaves at the center of the plant should be left to mature.
Swiss chard will even grow in partial shade and still produce a respectable crop. It survives temperatures down into the 20’s. Even if the leaves on the outside of the plant freeze the inner leaves will still be intact and edible.
The entire plant is edible, but the stems need a longer cooking time than the leaves. Interestingly, American cooks primarily use the leaves and European cooks primarily use the stems. I use the entire plant. The stems have the texture of cooked celery and should in fact be cooked similarly. The leaves can be substituted in virtually any recipe calling for spinach, with a slightly longer cooking time.
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