Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: DHM on October 25, 2018, 12:22
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No doubt about it, the Rainbow Swiss Chard is beautiful and really makes an impression at this time of year when most other things are finishing off, but man, we can't eat it/give it away quick enough. I have an 11ft row of perfect, large, stunning plants that show no sign of keeling over and the bigger they grow the bigger problem they become!
Is it true these could go on all winter or will they go to flower soon and call it a day?
Also has anyone got any ideas on how to use up a ton of the stuff to at least cut them back a bit as I'm worried I might end up wasting a load of it. The local homeless shelter have actually refused it as their 'chefs' don't know what to do with it! Perhaps the food bank might be interested...
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It's great, a really trouble free crop! I have found that it will go on for over a year but will eventually bolt, so you will need to sow fresh plants at that stage. You've probably already thought of this, but you can freeze it like spinach, if you cook it first it will reduce in volume a lot. Then put in things like pasta dishes, curry, etc. I have found the local food banks won't take fresh food, which is really a shame, it can't be good for people's health to live in tins and packets. You could always get rabbit and use the droppings on the compost heap!!!
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I have found the local food banks won't take fresh food, which is really a shame, it can't be good for people's health to live in tins and packets.
Our local food bank has offered to take rhubarb before but I suppose people can use that quite easily, chard is one of those things that people in this country seldom eat unless they grow it. I'd never grown nor eaten it until this year and I have to say I'm won over. People don't know what they're missing!
This rainbow chard is a growers dream; tall multicoloured stems with large green leaves, quick growing, minimal attention, nothing attacks it and winter hardy. Oh and it tastes great too. Everyone should give it a go if they have the space, it's fab!
I'm going to have to buy a small chest freezer next year I think to deal with these gluts...
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If you have a local farm shop they might accept a donation.
I only have 10 plants and find that more than sufficient, so with a whole row I can only imagine how much this gives you :wacko:
I make a cheesy bake with it, cooking the stems first and then adding the chopped leaves, and it goes well in curries in place of spinach, stir fries, smallest leaves in salads, but still it comes. As there is so much, I quickly pull the older, tougher leaves and compost them though
Would other plot holders take some off your hands?
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If you chop most of the tops off, it will last well past the hungry gap before it flowers (well, it did here when I took over the new plot ;) )
I filled a dalek with the leaves and soft stems when it eventually got lifted, so nothing wasted :D
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Chard will stand a fair bit of winter weather. I grow perpetual spinach, erbette and chard and pick pretty much year round. Snow or really severe prolonged frosts will damage leaves. I pick off the bad ones and chuck them in the compost heap. They grow more.
Come spring, any which are still going strong will want to bolt. I pick them really hard and remove any tall flowering stems from the centres. You can keep them going a fair few extra weeks that way.
If I freeze, I remove the stems and slice the leaves into largish pieces, place in a colander and pour a kettle of boiling water over them. Once cool enough to handle, I squeeze out excess water, pack into ice cube trays and freeze. You can push them out of the trays and store in bags to save space. I'd also buy trays for the purpose as freezing greens and herbs in them, as I do, does turn them greenish.
If you have a dehydrator, sliced leaves can be dried as they are - raw, un-blanched - on a low heat like herbs if your machine allows for this. They dry fast and make useful jars of dried greens that are perfect for adding straight into curry, pasta sauce or soup.
As you may have guessed, I love plot greens of all sorts and happily eat them several times a week :lol:
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When I have chard gluts I make triple batches of Sarah Raven’s chard and feta parcels (recipe easily found on internet). They are delicious, use up loads of chard and can be frozen uncooked. 😃 I now grow more chard each year just to make these!
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When I have chard gluts I make triple batches of Sarah Raven’s chard and feta parcels (recipe easily found on internet). They are delicious, use up loads of chard and can be frozen uncooked. 😃 I now grow more chard each year just to make these!
I'd not heard of these... thank you Flowertot, they sound delicious!
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Wow, loads of ideas there guys, thanks very much!
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There is also believe it or not a sweet tart recipe for chard.....Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall I think. It's from the Nice area and uses apples, pine nuts and dried fruit too.
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That sweet Chard recipe sounds interesting. Must look for the details.
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Tarte aux blettes I think it's called (blettes being French for Swiss Chard).
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Yes - found it thanks Mark. I'll have to get my pinny on and give it a go!