It’s time to get serious about the winter garden. Due to my neglect this summer, it’s in need of more prep than usual.
The work has begun. I removed long weeds and a black widow spider. I stepped around the ants and squash bugs to harvest green beans and arugula that produced to the end. Next, I need to till in some high-quality soil or fertilizer, prep the rows, and plant.
But all that prep work won’t matter unless I have something to plant. Even though I’m woefully behind, I’ll most likely use seeds. There’s just something about going from nothing on the surface to a shoot peeking through that’s especially satisfying. Not to mention, I have seeds on hand.
I also have row markers I always intend to use but never do. Hopefully, I’ll be more diligent with this planting.
My hardiness zone is 8a. That means leafy greens grow adequately in winter. My top choices are bok choy, chard, and arugula. I may attempt more traditional cabbage as well. Radishes, beets, and turnips don’t flourish in my moderately rocky soil even though they’re climate friendly.
I always wonder why chard isn’t more popular in the US. My first encounter with it was in New Zealand where it was called silverbeet. I loved it from the first bite. I now grow several varieties.
If you value the benefits of a Mediterranean diet, you may want to add chard to your repertoire. In a 35-calorie serving, you’ll get almost 4 grams of fiber, 300% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin K, half of the RDA for vitamin A, and a decent amount of vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, and iron. Pretty impressive nutrients for not many calories. It’s also high in antioxidants.
These characteristics make chard the perfect choice for a home gardener. Our gardens don’t need crops with long, sustained growing seasons like commercial farms may.
If you’re not familiar with chard (also known as Swiss chard), take a look at photo. Rainbow chard is beautifully colorful. And it’s tasty raw or cooked. The stems have a texture akin to celery and soften beautifully when cooked. If you can’t find it in local stores, consider growing some.
- Some ways to enjoy chard:
- Use it in breakfast smoothies. It can replace spinach or kale.
- Add raw leaves to a salad.
- Sauté by itself in olive oil or olive oil and butter. Season however you prefer your greens.
- Add to other sautéed vegetables. Cook stems until soft and leaves until wilted.
- Wilt, then add butter, cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper as a substitute for creamed spinach. For a variation, wilt and add butter, goat cheese, and a small bit of milk.
- Use as wrappers instead of grape leaves or tortillas.
- Make chard lasagna.
- Add to chicken and rice.
- Feature in a frittata.
Chard won’t be the only delight from the winter garden, but it’s one not to be missed.
Now it’s time to get my hands in the dirt!