Chard is related to beets. It is a subspecies of garden beets. Both their leaves are similar. The leaves of a chard are highly nutritious whereas its root is not edible. The chard looks likes a cluster of fan-like leaves having rich color saturation and bright stems. Both its leaves and stalks are edible.
Commercially grown chard can get too much nitrate from the high-nitrogen chemical fertilizers that commercial farmers would normally use. The nitrate in non-organic chard can change within our body to cancer-causing nitrites. To be on the safe side, it is important to make sure your chard is organic.
What to look for?
Storage and preparation tips:
Cooking and use of chard:
Many people like eating raw chard in salads and sandwiches as it has a peppery taste. However, when eating raw, its stalks have to be trimmed and then chopped into small bits for salads while its leaves can replace lettuce in sandwiches.
Chard is usually steamed for two to three minutes and then removed from heat and rinsed in cool water. This steamed chard can be eaten plain or used for dressing pasta or grain dishes.
Chard is also braised in stock or warm water for two minutes to make an excellent side dish and for dressing up pastas and burritos. Sautéed chard is also used in Mediterranean cuisine. If you intend to use chard for your soups, it should be thrown in at the last minute to retain its flavor and color.
Chard Nutrition Facts:
Chard is full of magnesium, vitamin K, C, E and A, iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, copper and dietary fiber. So chard not only makes your dishes interesting to eat, it is also a healthy and filling vegetable.
