Swiss chard. What kind of vegetable is it and how to grow it correctly
What is chard, calorie content and chemical composition. Beneficial properties and possible harm when consumed. How to eat chard, what dishes can be prepared from it. Interesting facts about vegetables and the ability to grow them on your own plot.
The content of the article:
Chard (chard) is a crop that can be classified more as a green than a vegetable. The Latin name of the biennial herbaceous plant is Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris. Family Amaranthaceae, subspecies of common beet. There are two forms of chard - stem (veined) and chives or chive, the second name is Roman cabbage. The stem is consumed together with the stems; it is more fragrant. In Roman cabbage, only the leaves are eaten, the growth of which resumes after cutting. The plant looks like a regular beet. Chard leaves are large, wavy, the basal ones are smaller, the central ones are larger, with different colors - from green to reddish. The flowers are small and light. But the root-root vegetable is unexpressed, elongated. The fruits are seed-pods and are not eaten. Planted together with other vegetables, it grows in open ground in temperate and continental climates. It is not yet popular in the CIS.
Composition and calorie content of chard
In terms of nutritional value, beets and chard differ significantly. The leafy plant can be safely included in the most strict diet for weight loss.
Calorie content of chard is 19 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 1.8 g;
- Fats - 0.2 g;
- Carbohydrates - 3.74 g;
- Dietary fiber - 1.6 g;
- Ash - 1.6 g;
- Water - 92.66 g.
- Vitamin A, RE - 306 mcg;
- Alpha Carotene - 45 mcg;
- Beta Carotene - 3.647 mg;
- Lutein + Zeaxanthin - 11 mg;
- Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.04 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.09 mg;
- Vitamin B4, choline - 18 mg;
- Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid - 0.172 mg;
- Vitamin B6, pyridoxine - 0.099 mg;
- Vitamin B9, folate - 14 mcg;
- Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 30 mg;
- Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol - 1.89 mg;
- Vitamin K, phylloquinone - 830 mcg;
- Vitamin PP - 0.4 mg;
- Betaine - 0.3 mg.
- Potassium, K - 379 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 51 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 81 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 213 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 46 mg.
- Iron, Fe - 1.8 mg;
- Manganese, Mn - 0.366 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 179 μg;
- Selenium, Se - 0.9 μg;
- Zinc, Zn - 0.36 mg.
Essential amino acids per 100 g:
- Arginine - 0.117 g;
- Valine - 0.11 g;
- Histidine - 0.036 g;
- Isoleucine - 0.147 g;
- Leucine - 0.13 g;
- Lysine - 0.099 g;
- Methionine - 0.019 g;
- Threonine - 0.083 g;
- Tryptophan - 0.017 g;
- Phenylalanine - 0.11 g.
- Omega-3 - 0.007 g;
- Omega-6 - 0.063 g.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids per 100 g:
- Linoleic acid - 0.063 g;
- Linolenic - 0.007 g.
- Choline prevents the deposition of stones in the gallbladder and prevents fatty liver.
- Vitamin C is involved in redox processes, stimulates hematopoietic function, prevents malignancy of tumors, significantly increases blood clotting and can destroy tooth enamel.
- Phosphorus is the main component of protein metabolism, participates in enzymatic processes, and transfers energy throughout the body.
- Potassium normalizes the functioning of the cardiovascular system and prevents the formation of edema.
- Magnesium is responsible for the functions of muscle fibers and thermoregulation, but accumulates in the joints, stimulating the formation of stones.
- Sodium supports the body's vital functions, constricts blood vessels, prevents dehydration, but can cause edema and increases blood pressure.
- Calcium is the main building material for organic tissues, but its excess negatively affects the condition of the kidneys.
Beneficial properties of Swiss chard
It can be safely introduced into the diet of those losing weight - it has low nutritional value. In addition, it increases the speed of peristalsis and helps get rid of the accumulation of waste and toxins.
Benefits of chard:
- Normalizes blood sugar levels, suppresses the activity of alpha-glucosidase enzymes, which break down complex carbohydrates;
- It has an antioxidant effect, prevents the malignancy of existing tumors, and prevents the formation of new tumors;
- Strengthens the structure of bone tissue and increases the strength of the walls of blood vessels;
- Improves thinking abilities and increases memory function, allows you to quickly assimilate new information;
- Normalizes the functioning of the cardiovascular system, prevents the development of atherosclerosis and coronary disease;
- Increases the speed of blood flow, which helps saturate all tissues, organs and systems with oxygen and nutrients, and prevents the development of anemia;
- Improves vision function, reduces the likelihood of glaucoma and cataracts, increases twilight vision;
- Strengthens hair roots and stimulates growth;
- Eliminates swelling, helps the body get rid of toxins;
- Helps restore pancreatic and liver cells.
Contraindications and harm of chard
There are contraindications for regularly introducing the plant into the daily menu.
You should limit your consumption of chard:
- For gout, urolithiasis or cholelithiasis. Chard contains a high amount of oxalates; when metabolic processes are disrupted, they crystallize and accumulate.
- In case of individual intolerance to all types of beets, so that allergic reactions do not occur.
- For varicose veins and thrombophlebitis due to the high amount of vitamin K in the composition, which increases blood clotting.
- With elevated cholesterol levels and obesity of 2-3 degrees.
You should not drink fresh chard juice. It contains too much concentration of chemicals, volatile compounds and organic acids. You can provoke the development of esophageal erosion, peptic ulcer, acid-base balance in the oral cavity, bronchospasm.
Vegetable dishes are introduced into the diet of children and pregnant women with caution. If this product is new for pregnant women, then “acquaintance” should be postponed.
How to eat Swiss chard
Before you eat chard, you need to learn how to choose it correctly. The leaves should be fresh, crisp, with a surface free of dots, spots, and whitish areas.
The plant is cut from the garden bed with a sharp knife and washed under running water. Cutting and cooking depends on the method of consumption. Roman cabbage is often added to salads and cut into strips. Stem varieties are first blanched or boiled for 1-2 minutes, the first water is drained and cooked until tender.
The chard is not soaked before cooking. This significantly reduces taste. In addition, water leaches beneficial substances from chard.
You can store the greens in the refrigerator on a shelf for 5 days, tightly wrapped in cellophane to limit air entry. After storage, the salad will no longer be tasty; it is advisable to use the product only in boiled form.
Chard recipes
There are many ways to prepare chard. It is used as an ingredient for salads, added to soups and hot dishes, the leaves are fermented like white cabbage, and pickled like tomatoes or cucumbers. In the morning, you can please your loved ones with an omelet with vegetables, and for dinner, prepare cabbage rolls, using romaine lettuce instead of cabbage.
Chard Recipes:
- Spring salad. A mixture of lettuce leaves - chard, spinach, arugula - is washed and laid out on paper towels to remove excess moisture. Cut a head of Mozzarella into even pieces - approximately 100-120 g, wash several strawberries and cut into 2 parts. All ingredients are mixed, the salad is seasoned with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
- Chard Pie. Ingredients for the dough: 3 tablespoons of flour, it is better to mix in equal quantities to make a little more than a glass, 2 varieties, coarse and regular wheat, ice water - 3 tablespoons, butter, a little more than half a pack, 100 ml of Parmesan. For taste, it is advisable to add 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped sage to the dough. The dough is kneaded until completely smooth and wrapped in cellophane. Place in the refrigerator to “rest” before baking. To prepare the filling, blanch 0.5 kg of chard in boiling water for 2 minutes and allow excess liquid to drain. Chop 2 heads of red onion, fry in a frying pan in sunflower oil, add 3 cloves of chopped garlic, chard, white wine - a third of a glass, simmer until tender, adding salt and pepper. Roll out the dough, grease the frying pan with sunflower oil, put a layer there, press it tightly and prick it often with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven at 225°C. While the dough is baking, prepare the filling by beating 3 eggs, 200 ml of cream, a pinch of nutmeg, a little red and black pepper. It's better to use a blender. Stewed vegetables are placed in the base of the pie, then pieces of soft feta cheese (150 g), 80 g of crushed walnuts, and a mixture of eggs and cream is poured on top. The pie is baked in a preheated oven for half an hour. Remove from the mold when it has cooled down.
- Cannelloni. Prepare salsa sauce: mix chopped onions, a couple of crushed garlic cloves with a 0.5-liter jar of tomatoes in their own juice. Mash the tomatoes thoroughly and beat everything in a blender. Chard cuttings are blanched, cut into smaller pieces, mixed with 200 g of cottage cheese (it is better to take ricotta). Wrap the curd filling in blanched Roman cabbage leaves. Fill the leaf envelopes with salsa and bake in the oven at 180°C, after sprinkling the dish with mozzarella cheese. Once the cheese has melted, you can turn it off.
- Vegetable casserole. Boil 4 eggs, peel. Finely chop all the vegetables: 100 g of carrots and kohlrabi, 1 root of celery, 1-2 green onions, 1 clove of garlic, 150 g of chard. Vegetables are sautéed in a deep frying pan in vegetable oil for approximately 15 minutes. About 2 tablespoons of flour are separately fried with a small piece of butter, a glass of milk is poured in, boiled for 5-7 minutes, pepper and salt. Pour the sauce into the mold, lay out the eggs and vegetables, mix everything, sprinkle with a layer of grated cheese and nutmeg powder. Bake in an oven preheated to 220°C.
Pickling leaves differs only in the way the product is laid out in the jar. The leaves are rolled into rolls, 10-15 pieces each, carefully inserted into a container so as not to wrinkle, and only then the marinade is poured. The leaves can later be used to season soups or make cabbage rolls.
You should not include chard dishes on the menu more than 3 times a week. This may have a negative impact on your health.
Chard is called Roman cabbage because in Ancient Rome it was eaten everywhere by patricians and plebeians. At that time, the vegetable was called sea rutabaga.
The ancient Greek healer Hippocrates used the plant in the treatment of fever, dermatological and infectious diseases, to cleanse the blood, and the Swiss alchemist and physician Paracelsus used preparations with chard to eliminate intoxication.
But in Rus' this garden crop appeared late - only in the 11th century. It was then that the fairy tale about “tops and roots” arose. For beets, the roots were used, for chard, respectively, the tops.
200 g of greens contain 60% of the daily value of magnesium. But you can’t eat so much chard, you can get gastritis and erosive damage to the mucous membrane.
Chard is currently gaining popularity. It does not require special growing conditions; the sprouts hatch at a temperature of +4-5°C. The most favorable conditions are +18-20°C and regular watering.
To grow chard, you need to know that this plant is capable of accumulating harmful compounds from the soil - nitrates and salts of heavy metals. If you plant vegetables in direct sunlight, less harmful substances will accumulate.
The plant can overwinter in the garden, but they prefer to grow it from seeds annually, completely weeding it out. In this case, the concentration of nitrogen compounds in the cuttings decreases.
Chard should be fed and watered regularly, but if the humidity is too high, it will begin to rot.
You should not sow romaine cabbage in the garden after white cabbage, spinach and regular beets. This will negatively affect the beneficial properties of the plant.
Watch a video about chard:
Having planted a new crop on your site, you can begin searching for recipes for chard dishes. After all, it can even be included in exotic culinary masterpieces.
More and more interesting exotic plants are appearing in garden beds. One of them is a variety of leaf beet from the spinach family - chard, the birthplace of which is considered to be the Mediterranean countries. Unlike ordinary beets, chard or, as they are also called, spinach beets, does not form root vegetables, but this plant is valued for its leaves, which contain many vitamins, minerals and many other useful substances.
Having beautiful carved leaves, this ancient crop brings benefits to the body and serves as a decoration for a vegetable garden or even a flower garden.
Varieties of Swiss chard varieties
There is an erroneous assertion among gardeners and vegetable growers that chard was bred by breeders from beets, leaving only the foliage edible. In fact, the plant has a long history and has been known since the time of Aristotle, who mentioned it in his works, describing the cultivation of this crop.
The curly variety of chard is very beautiful
Chard does not stand out from its counterparts in the variety of varieties and species.
Among the most popular, it is worth noting one of the earliest varieties, Swiss chard, which has a pleasant aroma and chives, which are very valuable in cooking, in addition, one of the most frost-resistant varieties.
Grown for decorative purposes, noteworthy are the green-petiolate variety of leaf beet with a semi-spread or semi-erect group of leaves of green color, the silver-petiolate variety with most often a straight stem and wavy leaves of silver-yellow color, the red-petiolate variety with a straight red-crimson stem and dark green leaves, decorated with red veins, yellow-petiolate, respectively, with a yellowish color of the leaves and golden veins throughout the leaf.
Ruby chard variety is the most common
Among the red varieties of leaf beets in the middle zone and the northwest are popular:
- "Gorgeous";
- "Ruby";
- "Scarlet".
Belavinka variety in the garden
Green varieties of chard are no less popular:
- "Emerald";
- "Green";
- "Belavinka".
Growing chard beets, planting and care
Chard is a biennial plant, but in conditions close to northern summer, its cultivation proceeds as for annuals. If the climate is milder, chard can be left to overwinter, having first protected it from winter frosts and protected early shoots from spring frosts; this is a prerequisite if further cultivation of the crop is planned. The plant is so unpretentious that it is permissible to grow it even on a windowsill, you just need to provide it with a sufficient amount of natural color.
Variety Scarlet - leaves
The predecessors of leaf beets should preferably be vegetable crops - onions, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes and others.
It is undesirable to grow on acidic soils; the best choice is light fertile loam with the addition of organic fertilizers to the soil. Growing chard is in many ways similar to the usual cultivation of ordinary beets.
Chard is a frost-resistant plant, the first seedlings of which can appear at a temperature of +5 °C. Growing and caring for the crop is primitive. To protect seedlings from possible spring frosts and obtain the highest quality products, it is recommended to sow at a higher soil temperature (+15/20 °C). Unlike regular beets, chard can be planted in three stages - sowing takes place in May, July and October.
Chard shoots are similar to regular beet shoots
In this situation, cultivation will be as successful as possible, and you will have fresh herbs on your table all year round. In order for the seeds to sprout quickly, before sowing they must be soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for several hours, which will also disinfect the seeds.
Due to the large size of the plant and powerful root system, the row spacing should be at least 35 cm, the seeds are lowered into the holes to a depth of 2-3 cm and a distance of 10 centimeters.
Like the seeds of the familiar beets, chard seeds produce two or three sprouts, which is unacceptable for obtaining a good harvest. After the first shoots appear, it is necessary to thin out the plant, leaving stronger shoots at a sufficient distance for their further full development. Like all plants of this family, chard needs an abundance of moisture, especially during the growing season.
Harvesting can be done gradually
If watering is poor, the leaves will become hard and unsuitable for food.
It is recommended to alternate watering with the application of organic and mineral fertilizers; it is advisable to do 2-3 fertilizing throughout the season. For full development, the plant needs sufficient moisture and fertilizers, access to sunlight, otherwise chard is capable of accumulating nitrates. We must not forget about weeding and loosening the soil.
With proper care, you can expect a harvest all year round, and constant consumption of chard will improve your health and saturate your body with useful vitamins and minerals.
Useful properties and indications for use
Swiss chard has endless medicinal uses. Even ancient manuscripts mention the medicinal properties of the plant, and recent studies have proven that chard leaves contain 13 polyphenolic antioxidants, which are indispensable in getting rid of diseases.
Chard is so beautiful. that it is also grown in a flower bed
- The leaves of the plant help in the treatment of diseases of the heart, circulatory system, diabetes, neuroses, insomnia, and excess weight.
- The juice of the leaves is recommended to be used as a laxative and a cure for toothache.
- Boiled chard leaves help with inflammatory processes; they are applied to wounds, burns, and abscesses.
- Inflammation of the eyes is relieved using a compress of crushed leaves.
Chard petioles can be canned
Thanks to its many beneficial substances, chard is widely used in cosmetology. The leaves are able to take care of the skin; the presence of antioxidants allows you to forget about wrinkles and rejuvenate the skin, thanks to them they get rid of warts and remove freckles. When the juice of the leaves is used on the hair, it strengthens the roots, improves growth, adds shine and gets rid of dandruff.
It’s hard to talk about the benefits of the product in one article, but we can say with confidence that they are enormous.
Do you know what chard is? Despite the wide distribution of the culture, not all gardeners in our country are familiar with it. Essentially, these are the same beets, but only their leaves are eaten.
If you want to grow it in the garden, in our article you will find all the necessary information about sowing chard and caring for it, and photos and videos will help you study the crop and master the skills to care for it.
Swiss chard: planting, care and propagation
Growing leaf beets is not yet very common in our country. Although this vegetable is completely undeservedly bypassed. The leaves contain many vitamins and nutrients, much more than regular table beets.
Peculiarities
Growing and caring for chard is not a difficult task, because, in fact, this vegetable is just a type of beet. Accordingly, sowing and further care are also carried out. But since the crop is still considered a leaf crop, some differences in planting and care in open ground, in comparison with beets, still exist (Figure 1).
Figure 1. External features of chard First of all, it is characterized by high cold resistance: its seeds germinate successfully even at temperatures of 6-7 degrees. Therefore, sowing can be done both in early April and in mid-summer to get fresh greens in the fall.
Note: Due to its resistance to low temperatures, winter sowing can also be done in order to harvest fresh greens in early spring.
Planting can be done either directly by sowing seeds in open ground or through seedlings. The latter method will allow you to get an earlier harvest.
Rules of care
Chard does not require special care. But, if you want to get large leaves, it is advisable to water it regularly (in the absence of natural precipitation) and sometimes apply weak solutions of mineral fertilizers. For these purposes, it is advisable not to use nitrogenous fertilizers, as they lead to the accumulation of nitrates in the leaves.
During the cultivation process, you can gradually cut off the outer leaves. This will make the plant more lush. Since this is a biennial plant, the strongest bushes can be left for the winter, covered with a layer of mulch. In the spring, the bush will produce new shoots and the green crop can be harvested again.
Conditions
Any soil is suitable for growing, but on fertile soils the bush grows more luxuriantly. That is why one of the key conditions is sowing after crops for which organic fertilizers were applied.
Planting is carried out when the soil is warmed to a depth of 3-4 cm, but if sowing is carried out earlier, it is better to cover the bed with film to enhance germination. As a rule, seedlings need to be thinned out, and large bushes need to be hilled up so that the stems are more stable.
Using chard beets
The leaves of the plant contain many vitamins and nutrients. That is why it is recommended to include it in the diet along with spinach and other green crops.
Swiss chard is very useful for people with diabetes, anemia and high blood pressure. In addition, it strengthens the immune system and improves liver function.
The leaves are most often eaten, using them to make salads. But the petioles are also suitable for eating. They can be stewed, pickled and even fermented for the winter. You will learn more useful information about the beneficial properties of the plant from the video.
Chard varieties
There are several varieties of chard that differ in petiole color (for example, scarlet or green). Growing these crops is practically no different, but there are still some features.
Red chard: planting and care
Red chard beets are sown in mid-April, when temperatures are relatively stable. It is advisable to cover the bed with film so that the seeds germinate faster (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Red chard This variety is resistant to flowering, and the first harvest can begin within a month and a half after planting. Since it forms a fairly large rosette with large leaves, the crops must be thinned out and watered moderately in dry weather.
Chard Emerald - growing from seeds
Growing the Emerald variety from seeds will take a fairly long period of time, since this variety ripens relatively late. From the moment the first shoots appear until harvest, approximately 2 months pass.
The culture is distinguished by a compact rosette with medium-sized leaves. The petioles are very juicy and quite large, so they are excellent for stewing and pickling (Figure 3).
Planting and care (features, rules, etc.)
The bed for the plant is prepared in the fall. To do this, you need to dig the ground very deeply, since the plant has a long and branched root.
Note: The optimal loosening depth is at least 30 centimeters, but if possible, the soil can be cultivated deeper.
Figure 3. Chard variety Izumrud It is advisable to add fertilizers to the soil: humus, nitrogen and potassium. This condition is not necessary, but if the soil is fertile, the leaves will become juicy and tasty. On heavy clay soils, without fertilizing, the leaves become too coarse.
How to grow from seeds
Before planting, the seeds are soaked in water for two days or wrapped in damp gauze. But on fertile soils, the seeds do not need to be soaked; they germinate without it (Figure 4).
It is best to sow it at the same time as potatoes, in sufficiently warm soil. If the ground is cold, the plants will begin to produce arrows rather than leaves. When sowing early, the bed must be covered with film to maintain temperature and humidity.
Figure 4. Soil preparation and sowing of chard The seed sowing depth is no more than 3 centimeters. Shoots will appear in two weeks. After several leaves have formed, loosening and thinning are carried out, removing the weakest plants.
The crop can also be grown through seedlings, following the example of beets. But in this case, the sprouts are transplanted into the ground later, when the ground temperature reaches at least 10 degrees.
In the future, the bed is periodically loosened and the seedlings are thinned out. Watering is practically not required, since the crop is highly resistant to drought. But, if the soil becomes too dry, the soil will have to be additionally moistened.
From the video you will learn how to properly prepare seeds for growing seedlings or leaf beets in open ground.
Growing in a greenhouse
Chard is also suitable for growing in a greenhouse. Due to the fact that the crop has minimal care requirements, you can get a harvest of fresh greens even in winter (Figure 5).
Note: You can make a garden bed in a greenhouse not only with seeds, but also with roots. They are buried in the ground at a short distance from each other and sprinkled with a small layer of soil, leaving the growth point open.
When planted with roots, the crop takes root faster, and the stable temperature and humidity of the greenhouse accelerates the growth and maturation of leaves. However, the room should not be allowed to become too hot. If the temperature rises above 20 degrees, the plants will begin to shoot arrows.
Figure 5. Growing in a greenhouse from seeds and seedlings In closed ground, it is advisable to feed the plant with liquid fertilizers and water it moderately (about once a week). If these conditions are met, it can be grown in a greenhouse not only in summer, but also in winter.
Propagation and harvesting
Proper cultivation and care of chard will allow you to obtain fresh greens from early spring until autumn. Moreover, the crop can be propagated not only by seeds or seedlings, but even by roots. They can be planted in a pot and placed on the windowsill. This way you can get a harvest even in winter.
Figure 6. Harvesting Swiss chard Harvesting continues throughout the growing season (Figure 6). The leaves are cut off from the outside so that the rosette continues to form a green mass. The more leaves you cut, the bushier the bush will become. The roots can be left in the ground for the winter, covering them with a layer of mulch. This way you can get the first harvest of greenery in early spring.
Diseases and pests
Among the pests, the most dangerous are beet aphids and flea beetles. To combat them, spray with insecticides or onion infusion. As a preventive measure, the seeded bed is sprinkled with ash.
I would like to introduce you to one vegetable plant with an interesting and unusual name - chard. Planting and care in open ground are so simple that the hassle of growing will be minimal. An interesting story happened to me with chard beets. I once sowed beet seeds. I bought two varieties, made two furrows and sowed one variety in one, and the second in the other. I threw away the seed packets, not even bothering to remember their names. Both varieties sprouted almost simultaneously.
The time has come, I thinned out my beets. I watered and loosened the rows. Everything is as usual. And then I noticed that the tops on one row were more luxuriant, the leaves were large with thick red petioles. The leaf grows “stupidly”, it has grown almost above the knee, but the root does not even think of becoming round. On the second, the leaves are much smaller, and root crops have begun to form. Shrugging my shoulders, I decided that the seeds were to blame, I had no luck with them. At first I wanted to pull out the unsuccessful beets - my granddaughter interfered, she liked the juicy, beautiful leaves. How she guessed that they were edible, I don’t know. But when she came to the dacha, the first thing she did was run to this garden bed, pick off a whole bouquet of leaves and eat them with pleasure.
This is such a funny story...
Chard in a garden with salads Only the next year, while looking through information on the Internet, I learned that there is a special variety of beet - Swiss chard. It became interesting. I have already bought specially Chard seeds. And having received an incomparable harvest, I realized that I would never part with this amazing plant - chard. How many delicious dishes can you cook with it! I'll tell you about this too, but a little later.
Chard, what is it?
Chard is a fairly vigorous plant that can grow to a height of 60-70 cm. This depends on the variety. Chard is a close relative of ordinary beets, but it does not form a root crop, but is valued precisely for its above-ground part - a lush rosette of large vesicular leaves rising above the surface of the ground on tall thick petioles.
Chard has several names - chard, leaf chard, petiole chard. It is grown to produce tasty and unusually healthy leaves.
Not only the leaves are eaten, but also the juicy, fleshy stems, which, with proper care, reach a diameter of 7-8 mm. The petioles, like the leaves, are incredibly rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements and various valuable compounds. If you introduce regular consumption of this vegetable plant into your diet, you can best boost your immunity and improve your health.
Of the varieties that I planted on my plot, I especially liked the mid-season chard variety Bride, which allows for the first cutting of greenery 55-65 days after emergence, for its high yield. The plant reaches a height of 50-60 cm, has large wavy dark green leaves and very thick white petioles, which are particularly juicy and piquant in taste.
Variety Bride The Krasavitsa variety is no less tasty, ripening in the same time frame. This variety of chard also allows for several cuttings per season and is characterized by high yield. In addition, it is also unusually decorative: a lush rosette of green leaves with red veins reaches a height of 60-70 cm and looks very elegant in the garden, thanks to its thick, bright crimson petioles. And he can decorate any flower garden!
Chard - care and cultivation
Chard is easy to care for, and even a novice gardener can grow this crop. Its seeds begin to germinate already at a temperature of +6-7°C, so I sow them in a bed filled with organic matter and mineral fertilizers in the earliest possible time in the spring.
Young chard seedlings are cold-resistant and can withstand spring frosts down to minus 2°C without loss. To obtain an earlier harvest, this plant can be sown before winter, and to obtain delicate autumn greenery, it can be sown in August (in Kuban). Only in hot summer conditions is it better to sow it to get a second harvest in partial shade and not let the soil dry out.
Chard is grown mainly as an annual plant, but it can be left in the winter - in the second year of its life it forms a tall peduncle with inflorescences, from which, after flowering, seeds can be collected and used for future plantings.
How to plant chard
I sow the seeds in grooves spilled with water and sprinkle them with a 3-4 cm layer of soil. When sowing with dry seeds, seedlings appear in the garden bed in 10-12 days. When 2-3 true leaves appear on the seedlings, I thin them out, leaving 35-40 cm between the shoots. Soon the plants become stronger and actively begin to grow.
The main condition for obtaining a good harvest of tender, juicy petioles and leaves is timely watering of the chard.
I also carry out 2-3 feedings per season: the first 7-10 days after germination, using nitrogen fertilizers; for the second and third feedings, which I do at intervals of 17-20 days, I use complex fertilizers. But I advise you to reduce the dose of fertilizer for each feeding by half than indicated in the instructions in order to avoid the accumulation of nitrates in the “tops” of leaf beets.
I also regularly loosen the chard rows and pull out weeds. During the cultivation of this crop, I have not yet found any signs of disease on it. But among the pests, my main enemies for chard are snails. I'm saved only by the thunderstorm. I periodically sprinkle blue Groza granules (a remedy for slugs and snails) along the perimeter of the bed. The granules retain their properties even after 3-4 rains. Then, of course, you need to update, re-sprinkle the bed, protecting it from snails, but there’s nothing you can do about it...
Features of harvesting chard
I begin to harvest the crop as it ripens, cutting off the petioles with leaves located along the edges of the rosette and without touching its middle. In one cutting, I remove no more than a quarter of the entire green mass, so as not to greatly harm the plant. With this approach, chard recovers very quickly and grows new greenery in a short time.
Chard harvest Chard, recipes
Cooks in many countries around the world use chard to prepare main hot dishes and salads. Both leaves and young stems are used. The taste of fresh herbs with a slight sourness, and sometimes even bitterness, gives dishes a special piquant and unique taste.
Salad preparation Swiss chard contains a large amount of vitamins and various minerals, nutrients and acids. You can eat the leaves either fresh in salads or as a filling for all kinds of pies. You can use them to make soups, borscht, or make cabbage rolls from the leaves. Well, of course, you can freeze them. But I wouldn’t recommend canning the leaves – it turns out kind of a mess. The petioles are a completely different matter.
Chard petioles What does chard taste like? Fresh leaves have a slight, almost imperceptible sourness, and in soup they are more similar to spinach, but tastier than spinach. The taste is somewhat similar to spinach and beets at the same time - tender and sourish-sweet. How is it different from beet tops? If the tops are young, then practically nothing. But you won’t be able to pluck all of the beets; the root crop will have nothing to eat. And you can endlessly tear off the leaves of chard, leaving the middle. They will grow and grow.
Stuffed cabbage rolls with chard leaves
Swiss chard cabbage rolls By the way, cabbage rolls made from chard leaves are something extraordinary. I tried it once - now I only make these: delicate, wavy, silky leaves, juicy petioles. I won’t write a detailed recipe, since the filling is no different from the usual one. If you want, make a meat filling, or a vegetable filling - whatever you like. If cooks recommend boiling cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls a little in salted water, cutting off or beating off the hard veins so that they become softer and do not break when wrapping minced meat in them, then with Swiss chard everything is very simple. The leaves are like silk, rolling inward on their own! Stuffed cabbage rolls with chard leaves, believe me, it’s very, very tasty!
Braised chard cabbage rolls Pies with beetroot chard
Open-faced chard pie Cut the leaves into wide strips and the petioles into medium-sized cubes. Lightly fry the onion until transparent, add chopped chard, simmer a little, add salt. You can add your favorite spices. Cool, add a few chopped boiled eggs, mix. This is what we have made of minced meat.
I usually make the pie from store-bought puff pastry.
I spread the minced meat on one sheet of puff pastry and cover it with another sheet of dough on top. I pinch the edges, turning them slightly up, pierce the top sheet with a fork in several places and place it in a preheated oven. After 20-25 minutes I take out the browned pie.
Covered chard pie Feel free to get creative with the chard pie filling. It won't taste bad! In the photo below, the puff pastry pie inside is gripped with any hard cheese (can be Dutch, can be Parmesan), the filling does not crumble at all, you can safely serve it on a plate. Chard is tender, tender, and in combination with cheese and egg it is something unimaginable!
Pie with cheese, egg and chard
Potatoes with chard
Boiled potatoes with chard I read this recipe on one of the forums on the Internet. I tried it, liked it, and am sharing it with you. You can eat it as a separate dish, or you can serve it as a side dish for fried or salted fish.
I boil the potatoes until almost done, wash a large bunch of chard leaves (they boil down a lot during the cooking process), cut them with scissors into the pan with the potatoes and cook until the potatoes are ready.
While everything is cooking, I quickly prepare the sauce: pour equal parts of odorless olive and sunflower oil into one bowl, add 2-3 large cloves of finely chopped garlic or put through a garlic press, mix everything.
There are people who do not like the taste and smell of olive oil. It can be replaced with melted butter.
Drain the water from the potatoes and, while they are hot, add oil and garlic. Fragrant, tasty, healthy!
Garnish of chard for meat and fish dishes
Wonderful, wonderful chard side dish! Light, impeccably tasty and incredibly healthy.
Cut the chard into 1.5 cm strips and blanch in salted water for 2 minutes. Squeeze.
Heat any vegetable oil you like in a frying pan, add 5 chopped garlic cloves, fry until golden brown. Place the blanched and squeezed chard, add salt, and add a generous pinch of aromatic market hop-suneli. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. Ready!
Garnish for stewed chard meat Salad of chard leaves, green onions with sour cream
The composition of the salad is indicated in the title.
Fresh green salad with sour cream He who knows, understands!
Scrambled eggs with chard
Scrambled eggs with chard Favorite food for breakfast. It takes 5 minutes longer to prepare (the leaves need to be cut) than usual, but it’s tastier and healthier.
I add chard to borscht.
You can add it to okroshka (just cut it smaller).
And it will never be superfluous in salads! I advise anyone who loves greens to try it.
In general, chard is a great thing. It is unpretentious, grows quite quickly, and is useful, of course. Beautiful. There are different types - with white stems, with yellow stems, with red stems.
Looks great in the garden! You can plant them in flower beds!
I advise you to definitely plant this amazing crop on your site in the new season. Chard will not only help diversify your usual diet and improve your health, but will also become the main decoration both in the garden and in the flower garden.
Chard is a beet whose roots are not tasty, so they are not eaten. It can be of two types - petiole and leaf. Petiole varieties come in different shades: soft green, whitish, with a silver tint, they may have yellow petioles, purple, soft pink and bright crimson.
The petioles, which grow up to 7-8 cm wide, as well as greens are eaten. Leaf varieties are planted for their leaves, which taste like spinach, they grow very quickly after cutting and tolerate frosts.
In the article we will cover such points as what should grow in the soil before planting Chard beets, what other crops can be planted next to beets, what soil they prefer, how to prepare seeds for planting, as well as how to plant and care for them.
Predecessors and neighbors
Beets are planted where the following crops were previously planted:
- tomatoes
- potato
- cucumber
- legumes
When you plant Chard, you can plant cucumbers in the spaces between the rows. Onions next to the plant will protect it from aphids.
Note: You cannot plant chard where you previously harvested chard, beets, or spinach, since these predecessors have similar pests and diseases.
Preparing seeds and soil
Leaf beets should not be planted on heavy clay and sandy soils. In the fall, the soil is dug up and manure is added so that it has time to rot, since fresh mullein causes the roots of the plant to rot.
If you grow beets on peat, then make a high bed. In the spring, the bed is dug up to 40 cm. The plant needs such microelements as:
- potassium
- sodium
- calcium.
Dolomite flour is added to the acidic soil or watered at the beginning of the growing season with a solution of 1 cup of lime per bucket of water (10 l). Loves good lighting.
Chard is grown by planting seeds directly into the ground, as well as for seedlings. To sow seedlings, the seeds are pre-soaked for 2 hours in a solution of potassium permanganate, laid out on a cloth that is periodically moistened, then by the end of February they are planted in pots, into which soil consisting of 1 part leaf soil and 1 part sand is previously poured.
Note: Chard prefers slightly acidic or neutral soil, light, with organic fertilizers.
They are periodically watered and placed in a bright, warm room. Seedlings are planted when they have 5 leaves. At the beginning of May, dry seeds are sown, and at the end of the month, the seeds are pre-soaked for 2-3 days.
Growing and care
Beets are sown from April to July. If it is planted in April, then by mid-summer you can cut off the leaves and petioles. If you plant the seeds in July, then leave the beets for the winter. But it is carefully hilled up and covered with spruce branches. In the spring, after the threat of frost has passed, the spruce branches are removed.
Ash is poured into the bottom of the dug groove. Seeds are planted to a depth of 2-3 cm, a gap of 10 cm between seeds, 40 cm between rows for petiole varieties, and 20 cm for leaf varieties. If you are planting seedlings, then they need to be watered with a solution of 1 cup of lime per bucket of water (10 l).
The space between the sprouts of petiole varieties is 40 cm, leaf varieties - 8 cm. After planting, you need to constantly loosen the soil, and in drought, mulch with peat. The flower stalks are broken off.
You can prune the plant when it has 6 leaves. Since it can accumulate nitrates, it is fed not with manure and urea, but with complex mineral fertilizer and humus.
Pests of the plant are aphids and flea beetles. To destroy aphids, use the following composition: add 300 g of chopped onion to a bucket of water (10 l), leave for 2 days. Afterwards, the composition is filtered and the leaves are sprayed.
Note: After planting the seeds, you can sprinkle ash mixed with tobacco dust on the soil, then flea beetles will not appear.
Storage
Greens are stored for up to 20 days, placed in a room at a temperature of +2°C. She cannot stand temperature changes. Relative air humidity 95-98%. During storage, artificial lighting with fluorescent lamps is used.
If you do not want to plant Chard and plan to cut off the leaves of simple beets, then you should know that by cutting off its leaves, you delay the development of root crops. Therefore, we recommend growing Chard beets for these purposes rather than ordinary beet varieties, especially since there is nothing complicated about it.
Below, we invite you to watch a video about chard beets and their beneficial properties: