Beet, Leaf

It has many common names, such as silver beet, perpetual spinach, beet spinach, seakale beet.  Leaf beets are a close relatives of the ordinary beetroot, but they are grown for their leaves.

There are many types of Swiss chard, some of which have colourful, jewel-toned stalks and veins that make this vegetable particularly pleasing to the eye.

Just 175 grams of cooked Swiss chard contains:

Calories: 35
Protein: 3.3 grams
Carbs: 7 grams
Fiber: 3.7 grams
Vitamin K: 477% of the Daily Value (DV)
Vitamin A: 60% of the DV
Magnesium: 36% of the DV
Vitamin C: 35% of the DV
Copper: 32% of the DV
Manganese: 25% of the DV
Iron: 22% of the DV
Vitamin E: 22% of the DV
Potassium: 20% of the DV
Calcium: 8% of the DV

Twist off (do not cut) outer leaves when they are large enough for cooking, do not wait until maximum size is reaches as the quality deteriorates. Harvest carefully and regularly leaving the central foliage to develop for later pickings.  Do not disturb the roots.  Avoid storage if possible.  If you must, place in a polythene bag in the refridgerator for up to 2 days.

Swiss chard leaves are used as a spinach substitute and the fleshy stalks are cooked like asparagus.

Take a chard leaf, fold it in half lengthwise, and lay it in front of you.  Just folding the leaf along its natural centre, putting the stem/rib facing one way and the edges of the leaf the other way. With a sharp knife cutting following the stem.  The reason for this is they don't both cook at the same time.