Swiss Chard

There's a whole blog post on the benefits of swiss chard, but what about cooking it? Well, its very similar to what you do with kale and spinach. Simply slice the leaves off the stems, put it into a pan of boiling water, and parboil it for about 5 minutes. Pour it into a colander, let it cool a bit, press out the excess moisture with the back of a spoon, and then put it on a chopping board. Now, you can either leave it whole like this, and then mix with olive oil, salt, and pepper,  or chop it up coarsely, put it into a skillet in heated olive oil, and saute gently for a few minutes with chopped garlic, a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. You can also add in some sorrel leaves, which will give the mixture even more of a tangy citrus taste. Its also wonderful mixed with onions, and virtually all root vegetables. Tarragon, cilantro, and parsley are nice additions. Chard is delicious in pasta dishes, as well as with basmati rice, pilafs, and tomatoes. Once you've eaten it, and seen how prolifically it grows, how easy it is to cook, and how it can blend with so many things, you'll always want to have plenty in your grow bed for year round use!

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