Good Harvest Farm grown certified organic rainbow chard and silverbeet.
Succulent, fresh and delicious Silverbeet/Chard, proudly grown, picked, packed and delivered from our farm to your family. Swiss chard falls somewhere between spinach and kale, in terms of bitterness. However we find it just as sweet as spinach, especially when cooked.
Chard, also known as silverbeet, swiss chard or rainbow chard is a great spinach-alternative for the warm Queensland climate and packs a hefty nutritional punch. . It has large dark-green leaves with prominent petiole and well-developed edible stalks of various colour.
Silverbeet and rainbow chard are available throughout the year however are in their peak during the cooler months here in Queensland.
Nutritional Info & Storage Tips
Silverbeet contains high levels of vitamins A, K and C, as well as being high in minerals such as potassium, iron, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, zinc and manganese. It is also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, flavonoids antioxidants like ß-carotene, α-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
Look for leaves featuring crispy, crunchy, brilliant dark-green colour and vibrant stalks.
To store: Keep dry, unwashed greens in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Make sure you wash before use.
To use: Add uncooked greens to a mixed green salad. Steam stem pieces 8-10 minutes, and leaves 4-6 minutes. Or sauté greens until tender in a large sauté pan with olive oil, a pinch of salt, and garlic or onion. Watch for color to brighten as this signals they are done. Serve cooked chard alone as a side dish or use them in soup or with pasta, beans, rice, or potatoes. Chard also goes great in stir-fries or in any recipe calling for spinach.
Recipes
The green leaves can be sliced up and eaten raw in a salad or boiled, roasted or sautéed.
The stems will be more bitter than the leaves and they do take longer to cook, but it’s definitely worth cooking them rather than tossing them in the compost. Just think of all the vitamins loaded in those colorful stalks.
Here are a couple of our favourite ways to use Chard.
Sautéed Garlic Swiss Chard
This is one of our favourite side dishes as it compliments so many other main dishes from salmon to chicken or any roast.
Ingredients:
1bunch of swiss chard,approx 10 stems
1tbspolive oil
3clovesgarlic,minced
1/4cupwater
sea salt,to taste
Method:
Wash and clean the chard leaves. Depending on your preference, you can remove the stems at the bottom of the leaves or keep them and slice them up. Roll the leaves into a cigar-like shape and slice across horizontally into one-inch wide strips.
Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan on medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for one minute.
Add the water and chard stems and cook for 1-2 minutes, until softened. Add the chard leaves and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. The chard leaves will wilt down.
Remove ribs and stems from Swiss chard leaves and finely chop. Tear leaves into small pieces. Set both aside separately.
Heat ⅓ cup oil in a large pot over medium-low. Cook reserved ribs and stems, stirring often and adding a splash of water if they start to brown, until tender, 5–7 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add reserved chard leaves by the handful, letting them wilt before adding more; cook, tossing, until all the leaves are wilted and tender, 10–12 minutes total. Let cool. Squeeze excess liquid from mixture into a measuring glass. (You should have about ½ cup liquid.)
Place Swiss chard mixture and 1 Tbsp. cooking liquid in a food processor and add tahini, lemon juice, and ⅓ cup oil. Season with salt and process, adding more cooking liquid if needed, until dip is creamy and only speckles of chard remain. This could take up to 5 minutes. Season with more salt if needed.
Transfer dip to a serving bowl and drizzle with more oil. Serve with flatbread and lemon wedges.
Hot Tip: Dip can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.
Swiss Chard Salad with lemon parmesan breadcrumbs
1bunch Swiss chard, about12 ounces
½ cupextra virgin olive oil, divided
1½ cupsfresh bread crumbs
1clove garlic, minced
sea salt to taste
crushed red pepper flakes, optional
1lemon
¾ cups grated Parmesan, Grana Padano or Pecorino
Method:
Wash and dry the chard and remove the stems from the leaves. (Save stems foranother use.) Stack a few of the leaves on top of each other, roll them like a cigar and cut the cigar into thin (1/8-inch) ribbons. Repeat until all the leaves are shredded. Put the leaves into a large salad bowl.
Warm ¼ cup olive oil in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until they are crisp and golden brown (about 5 minutes). Be careful not to burn them! Stir in the garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper flakes, and let them toast for another minute, then remove from the heat.
Zest the lemon into the bowl of chard. Juice the lemon into a small mixing bowl. Add a few generous pinches of salt. Slowly whisk in ¼ cup of the olive oil.
Add the Parmesan and about ⅔ of the lemon dressing to the bowl. Toss until nicely coated. Taste and add more dressing if you like. Toss in the toasted bread crumbs and serve immediately.
Tip: Stems can be used in soups, roasted or in stir-fry.
