Swiss chard brings color to the vegetable garden and tastes really delicious. If you pay attention to a few tips when harvesting, you can harvest the red, yellow, white and green leaf stalks fresh almost all year round. Swiss chard is a biennial leafy vegetable. Even if some people think of an ornamental plant when they first see the brightly colored stalks of red or yellow Swiss chard. Freshly harvested chard is rich in protein and contains many vitamins and minerals.
Harvest stem chard from the outside
With stem chard, also called rib chard, you harvest the leaves from the outside in. The chard heart remains unharmed and the plant can grow back. It is best to break off the individual leaves just above the turnip-like root. Then nothing is left standing that might go wrong later. You can also cut off the outer leaves with a knife or scissors. Only harvest as much chard as you need. Freshly harvested and quickly prepared, the asparagus-like stalks taste excellent. Shortly after harvest, leafy greens contain these vitamins:
- Vitamin K: with 414 µg/100g freshly cooked Swiss chard, its vitamin K content is only surpassed by herbs
- Provitamin A: 588 µg/100g, provitamin A is also known as a carotenoid
- various B vitamins such as B1, B2, B3 and B6
- Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron
Swiss chard can be harvested for the first time 10 to 12 weeks after sowing. If you sow seeds in April, you can enjoy chard from July. Harvesting is possible up to the first days of frost. Covered with leaves or fleece, Swiss chard usually survives the winter. In the spring it continues to grow and you can break off the new leaves as usual. The plant flowers in early summer. It dies after the seed has ripened.
Leaf chard will sprout again after cutting
You can cut the spinach-like leaf chard two to three fingers above the ground, it will push out new leaves after the cut. Leaf chard is ready for harvest seven days earlier than stem chard. The harvest can begin after just 8 to 10 weeks. Smaller leaves taste milder and sweeter than the larger leaves.
Before the chard gets too big, harvest it and freeze it. To do this, chop the chard leaves and blanch them for two minutes. Squeeze out carefully and freeze in portions. Leaves that have grown too large can be used as stuffing in recipes, much like cabbage leaves are used in stuffed cabbage.
tips and tricks
Chard has a limited shelf life after harvesting. Wrapped in a damp cloth, it will keep in the fridge for up to two days. When harvesting, make sure that the harvested leaves are not in the sun.