The Main Plant entry for Swiss Chards (Beta vulgaris var. cicla)

Chard is the only food plant that was productive 12 months of the year in my zone 8 garden. Stands up to light freezes as well as intense heat without wilting or changing its flavor.

Although it is less attractive, I found the 'Perpetual' variety to be slightly hardier and slower to bolt than 'Bright lights.' It also had a milder flavor, a plus for anyone who is new to the world of chard or who doesn't like the beet-like taste.

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"Chard is a leafy green vegetable often used in Mediterranean cooking. While the leaves are always green, chard stalks vary in color. Chard has been bred to have highly nutritious leaves at the expense of the root (which is not as nutritious as the leaves). Chard is, in fact, considered to be one of the healthiest vegetables available and a valuable addition to a healthy diet (like other green leafy vegetables).

Chard is a spring harvest plant. In the Northern Hemisphere, chard is typically ready to harvest as early as April and lasts through May. Chard is one of the more hardy leafy greens, with a harvest season typically lasting longer than kale, spinach or baby greens. When day-time temperatures start to regularly hit 86 °F, the harvest season is coming to an end.

Swiss chard is high in vitamins A, K and C, with a 175 g serving containing 214%, 716%, and 53%, respectively, of the recommended daily value. It is also rich in minerals, dietary fiber and protein."

Taken from Wikipedia.

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Culinary use:
Fresh young chard can be used raw in salads. Mature chard leaves and stalks are typically cooked (as in pizzoccheri) or sauteed. The bitterness fades with cooking, leaving a refined flavor that is more delicate than that of cooked spinach.

In Egyptian cuisine, chard is commonly cooked with taro root and coriander in a light broth. In Turkish cuisine, chard is cooked as soup, sarma or borek.

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