What to do with Swiss Chard? Thoughts before canning.

I love Swiss Chard. We always grew it in our garden growing up and we always ate it the same way, chopped (stalks and leaves), boiled, add mushroom soup and salt and pepper. This suited me just fine, because we only ate it for a couple of months out of the year and I loved it this way.

This year I grew some Red Swiss Chard for a change in my very small garden. It was actually the only thing that really survived this year. A pesky rabbit only allowed me a handful of green beans, my broccoli grew up all plant and my spinach has no desire to look appetizing.

I knew since it was just me and the kids this year, (who, by the way, don’t share my love for the chard,) I’d better find some creative ways to use it before I preserved it.

Here’s what I learned:

• It’s “The King” of vegetables in terms of nutrients. (Wow!)
• People just eat it like greens or spinach, sautéed in butter and garlic, top with peppers or tomatoes and parmesan.
• Serve it plain as a side dish.
• In fact, use it in place of spinach in any recipe.
• Mix it in with some goat cheese and your favorite seasonings to stuff chicken breasts
• Throw it in your smoothies (like spinach)
• Use it as an add-in to your quiche, omelet or frittata recipes
• Mix raw chard leaves in with your salad greens or use it on top of your tacos, in burritos, wraps or sandwiches
• Toss pasta (if you eat grains) with oil, lemon juice, garlic, and cooked Swiss Chard
• There are A LOT more recipes for Swiss Chard than I ever dreamed!

Visit this great resource for canning and preservation from the University of Nebraska.

Also shared on Traditional Tuesdays