[ytyynycefn]

Ten minutes' boiling is waaaaay too long, Bernard  :shock:  - I just shred young leaves and chuck them into a curry or tomatoey pasta sauce a couple of minutes before serving - basically just enough to wilt it.  Or if you're having it on it's own as greens, just a couple if minutes with no more water on it than is left from rinsing - then stir a bit of butter through it before eating.

I've found it also freezes OK - I stick whole leaves into freezer bags, and then crush them, and add to curries etc at the end of the cooking time - my OH hates greens, so I can dish his up first, and then do mine really quickly after!

On the other hand, I had my nippers' class pets as guests over half term - giant African land snails - and they loved Swiss chard more than anything we fed them, except maybe cucumber.  I'm cultiviating a load for the school now...

[Bernard]

Thanks for the advice folks, I think it is time to throw the cook book away. Perhaps cook books should be written by gardeners, not chefs.

[WG.]

Perhaps cook books should be written by gardeners, not chefs.

Yes except all of my soup recipes turn out very green.

Leek & Potato Soup
2lbs potatoes
half a drill of leeks
...

[Trillium]

Don't you make curries then?  

UGHHHH!!      That particular cuisine is not big over here.

[WG.]

That particular cuisine is not big over here.

Very much, your loss :!:  

[Bernard]

Well, I think spuds & leek is bound to be better than Swiss chard. Tried the latter in a mixed stir fry yesterday. It was ok mixed with the rest but I am sure it didn't add any worth-while flavour.

[yummy]

My uncle phoned last night and he was raving about how tasty his Swiss Chard Bright Lights was

[Bernard]

I don't suppose it is possible that the variety with the coloured stems have more flavour than the white? Otherwise, perhaps I have the wrong soil. ('The answer lies in the soil')

[WG.]

Or possibly, you simply don't like it Bernard ??  

[Bernard]

Well, honestly, I am puzzled. It is not so much a matter of disliking it, more that I just can't find any clearly identifiable characteristic which could be either liked or disliked.
Believe me, I want to - mainly because it is easy to grow.

[Trillium]

Very much, your loss :!:  

Have tried it a few times and can say it's a very definite no loss.  

Bernard, chard is really a very subtle flavour, kind of like eggplant and courgette, which need flavourings to make them enjoyable. I find garlic definitely helps chard. Supposedly the white chard has the most flavour, but I personally enjoy Bright Lights as it's not only colourful in the garden but it doesn't try to run off with my tastebuds.  

[wellingtons]

... sorry I'm a bit slow picking up on threads these days!!

Pick it small or not at all ...  

Treat it like pak choi or any kind of spring greens, just pick it small.

[little sweetpeas]

My uncle phoned last night and he was raving about how tasty his Swiss Chard Bright Lights was

I hope so because I've got twenty small plants agout to go in. I grew it becasue it not only looks great but because people told me it was nicer than spinach and my fam,ily enjoy spinach.

[WG.]

Have tried it a few times and can say it's a very definite no loss.  

Bit of a generalisation to say that most of Canada doesn't like any dish from the Indian sub-Continent then  

[milkman]

Never boil any veg for 10 mins - no wonder it tastes of nothing - it's had all the goodness and flavour boiled right out of it  :oops:  and what a thing to do to veg you've taken the time and trouble to grow yourself!  

I grow swiss chard and spinach beet every year - it's a great alternative to spinach which I can't get to grow without it bolting.

I pick the leaves young, de-stalk it and steam it just as I would for spinach, serving it up with a knob of butter and sprinkling of black pepper - yum.

I chop it up and add it to curries - yum.

I chop the stalks up and add them to risotto's.

The stalks that I don't use in cooking get fed to very grateful guinea pigs!