Swiss Chard just made the news

[Gypsi]

I had some swiss chard that I grew on the pond deck stirred into my scrambled eggs this morning, along with a little of the breakfast sausage that daughter and I made back in March.  I grow chard in ground, all winter, all summer and on the pond march thru first freeze because it will grow in Texas winter or summer and is very nutritious.  seed and have food for a year or 2, just harvest the outer leaves as needed, so I harvest about 5 minutes before cooking.  But who knew it was a superfood?

http://ecowatch.com/2015/05/19/swiss-chard-ultimate-superfood/?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=67399f99ee-Top_News_5_25_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-67399f99ee-85396317

[Perry]

Steamed with a bit of butter on top, Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

[Gypsi]

Definitely!  Chard is worth a pat of Kerry Gold!

[Bakersdozen]

Oh yes, very nutritious!  And versatile.  I like to sauté in olive oil with mushrooms.  I put the lid on and let it cook down.  Around here, it sells for about $2 a bunch and a bunch is about 2 servings. 

[Les]

My rainbow chard is about 2 inches high.  Can't wait to saute with some olive oil and garlic.  Wanted so much to cut the asparagus this year but since we just planted it last fall (they were two year old roots then) and they were so skinny when they came up that we decided to let them be till next year.    Lots of things poking up in the veggie garden and we have our first flowers on our tomatoes.  Oh, I can't wait to sink my teeth into a nice, warm, sun ripened tomato    Pass the salt shaker!!

[Gypsi]

Nothing better than a good tomato grown in even moisture levels. The drought ruined mine for a few years til last year I built a platform on the pond in full sun, best tomatoes I have ever eaten I think. This year I have some in an improved moisture retention part of the garden, but I have some on the pond again too. And chard coming off that pond full of koi is twice the size of what I'm getting from the garden

[Bakersdozen]

Nothing better than a good tomato grown in even moisture levels. The drought ruined mine for a few years til last year I built a platform on the pond in full sun, best tomatoes I have ever eaten I think. This year I have some in an improved moisture retention part of the garden, but I have some on the pond again too. And chard coming off that pond full of koi is twice the size of what I'm getting from the garden

Gypsi,  Do you have any pictures of your platform?  That sounds creative.

[Gypsi]

I do have some photos but I am not gifted at posting them here as the phone takes such large images.  My old eyes are also not good at going through the thumbnails to get them resized.  I hope to have my bifocal contacts in  next week plus reading glasses and I will be editing pond photos so maybe I can get something either on here or on photobucket and post a link.

[neillsayers]

Love greens in the wintertime

[Gypsi]

So do I.  I'll be moving the chard from the pond tray to a tray in my greenhouse over a tank of goldfish.  The garden ones I try to throw a bucket over (giant bucket) when we have  a really low freeze do, but it handles mild freezes well.

[mamapoppybee]

If you watch closely in the garden you will also notice compared to other greens chard is more pest resistant.

[Gypsi]

Not only pest resistant, it is freeze resistant. I have it on the pond tray for my koi pond (formerly my tilapia pond and my catfish pond) and my friend the aquaponics expert was telling me how you can't do anything aquaponic in the winter in Texas unless the pond is in a greenhouse, and I showed him my green and red swiss chard.  I grow it because my grandmother grew it, but also because spinach does so badly in Texas

[Zulu]

Not only pest resistant, it is freeze resistant. I have it on the pond tray for my koi pond (formerly my tilapia pond and my catfish pond) and my friend the aquaponics expert was telling me how you can't do anything aquaponic in the winter in Texas unless the pond is in a greenhouse, and I showed him my green and red swiss chard.  I grow it because my grandmother grew it, but also because spinach does so badly in Texas

And thus it is also one of the green leafy veg that you can put excess into the freezer for later use.

[Gypsi]

I usually blanch and stuff in quart size freezer ziplocs for quick use later