SuperFood:Swiss Chard

Sounds so fancy, doesn't it?

My father introduced me to this "better than spinach" veggie many years ago, before becoming such a popular ornamental(pretty) plant! 'Rainbow Chard' is pictured above. Yellow, red and green stems make up this variety. Another favorite of mine is 'Ruby Chard' with red stems.

I cook chard like spinach - a bit of chicken broth, some garlic, salt and pepper. Above, I placed chicken on bottom of dish, then mushrooms, broth and chard last on top. Covered with foil and finished the cooking chicken.

Chard has high percentages of vitamins A, K, and C. Like spinach, chard is easy to grow, and you can start it from seed in early spring.

So, put Swiss Chard on your list for spring planting, adding another SuperFood to your repertoire. You'll save a few bucks, too!

Blessings from the Garden.

ML

SuperFoods

Are you eating your veggies?

There is nothing better than homegrown cabbage, broccoli, swiss chard(above) and spinach. They taste better when you grow them! The October issue of Oxygen magazine highlights 12 (one for each month) SuperFoods. Some of these veggies have cancer fighting properties and all are packed with healthy vitamins.

According to the CDC, based on my age, physical activity and sex(female!), I should consume about 2.5 cups of fruit and 2 cups of veggies every day...Working
on getting close to that target.

I was just at Big Lots and Fred's last week and noticed an abundance of seed packets- many of the SuperFoods we can plant right now in zone 7/8. If you have children, it's a great teaching experience- so much fun to watch seeds pop out of the ground within days of planting.

It's time for planting the following:

• carrots
• lettuce
  
• beets
• spinach, collards
  
• cabbage- transplants at home garden stores
  
• broccoli- lots of transplants at home garden stores
• turnips
• swiss chard
• garlic
• blueberries/strawberries (transplants for spring/summer fruit)
  

Get your SuperFood in the ground now!

Blessings from the Garden.
ML

ps. you should subscribe to "clean eating" by oxygen