[Bernard]

Has anyone tried Swiss chard?
Mine has just reached the stage of having succulent-looking crisp stems, 2 months from seed, so we tried it for the first time.
The rest of it can feed the compost heap.

[digger1957]

Well, we quite like Swiss Chard if picked youngish before it gets too ribby. Mostly we grow Ruby Chard which looks great in the garden but goes rather muddy in the cooking.

[Ice]

Hi big B.  Pick it young, chop it, put butter and garlic in a frying pan, add chard, fry a little, add chicken stock, simmer 10 minutes and enjoy.  Lovverly grub.

[shaun]

ands its nice in an omelette

[Bernard]

Well, I suppose someone must like it or it would not be on the gardener's menu. But I have a general theory - where flowers are concerned, if you don't see it in every garden, then it is probably almost impossible to grow. And where vegetables are concerned, if it isn't in everybodies' shopping trolley then it probably tastes revolting.
I tried Jerusalem artichokes about 20 years ago. They were like nobbly skins full of mud. Never again.

[noshed]

Swiss Chard is popular with my workmates.

[John]

You don't know until you try with the 'non supermarket' vegetables and everyone likes / dislikes different things.
I loathe celery and don't like beetroot which are popular veggies. Salsify is a real pain to prepare in the kitchen but a sublime taste to me. My wife thought it yucky even when prepared by a very good French chef.
So my two penneth, try things but be prepared to only try once

[Mitsy]

I have never tried it don't know if even heard of it  :oops:

The things I fancied growing and hadn't tried before I bought from the supermarket first. Saves a lot of wasted space for me. Although I have planted veg which my family and friends eat but we don't  

Michelle

[Aidy]

try using the search facility at the top (no dont just pulling WG's sporen   ) I grow loads of it, we eat tons and tons, and also got my neighbours on it, very easy to grow and undemanding, in a recent post I said that it rarely bolts, well I will go t foot of our stairs, went last night and three plants bolted. but just chuck more seed in and it will be ready soon, the good thing you can grow it all year.

[yummy]

I have some swiss chard just coming up now. I've never eaten it fully grown before. I have had baby chard in a supermarket salad.

[Trillium]

I just use the leaves much as I'd use spinach, just don't let them get huge and tough. Pick regularly from the outer edges to keep them nice. The stalks are compost.

[WG.]

The stalks are compost.

 :shock:  :shock:
Don't you make curries then?  Failing that there are stir fries, make stock for soups or juice them & mix with tomato juice.

[Bernard]

I'm relieved to see that someone else thinks the stalks are compost. However,at the first tast I think the leaves also are compost. Both were soggy & unpalatable after 10min boil. However since so many apparently like them I will try again, this time in a mixed stir fry.

[Ice]

A ten minute boil? :shock:   No wonder it tastes loke poo Bernard.   My mum used to boil cabbage for an hour and it tasted like poo.  Like you said, try it in a stir fry or with other flavours.  It's also packed full of goodness.

Sorry mum, but your cabbage was appalling.  

[Anton]

I don't think you should boil Swiss chard. We fry it gently in a covered pan and then add some cream (soya) when its just nice and tender. Another way is to put it in a casserole and bake it with an egg and milk mixture in the oven until the egg and milk set.

Anton