Swiss Chard
Despite its name, Swiss chard doesn’t originate in Switzerland; it’s native to the Mediterranean region. This leafy vegetable looks a little like spinach, but its ribs are a beautiful red, pink, or yellow. If the red-ribbed variety reminds you of beet tops, that’s not a coincidence. Swiss chard and beets are actually cultivars of the same species (Beta vulgaris). If you mixed the nutritional virtues of spinach and beets, you’d get Swiss chard. It’s one of the healthiest vegetables available: It’s loaded with vitamins, essential minerals, fibre, and an army of antioxidants.
Health Benefits
Swiss chard has not been studied as extensively as beets and spinach, but it has a valuable role to play in health. Like beets, Swiss chard contains plant compounds called betalains. These are the pigments that give the colour to the stalk and veins of the chard leaves, and they deliver powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and liver-detoxification support. They help the liver make more of the most powerful antioxidant in the body, known as glutathione.
The leaves also contain an antioxidant called kaempferol, which offers potent heart protection, and syringic acid, which balances blood sugar and supports the production of insulin.
The antioxidants in chard act as anti-inflammatory agents that decrease the risk of obesity, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and several forms of arthritis.
Besides being an antioxidant powerhouse, chard is no slouch when it comes to conventional vitamins and minerals. It contains vitamin K levels that make it third only to kale and spinach. Though most of the attention focuses on calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D, vitamin K helps prevent bone loss. And friendly bacteria in the intestines convert vitamin K1 into vitamin K2, which activates osteocalcin, a protein whose job is to anchor calcium molecules inside the bone.
DIFFICULTY
Easy
HARDINESS
Annual
TIME TO PLANT
Spring
TIME TO HARVEST
Summer through fall
LOCATION
Full to part sun
SOIL TYPE
Rich, well-drained, slightly acidic
Growing
Swiss chard in the landscape is a triple treat: It’s edible, it’s incredibly healthy, and above all, it’s sexy! Okay, ornamental at least. This low-maintenance vegetable is the crop that keeps on giving: It continues to grow for a second, third, fourth, and even fifth harvest. Swiss chard comes in a rainbow of stem colours, from white, to yellow, to red, adding flair to any garden it graces. It’s a cool-season plant that can take light frost and will fill both containers and gardens well into the fall.
Common Varieties: My favourite varieties include ‘Rhubarb’, ‘Ruby’, ‘Bright Lights’, ‘Lucullus’, ‘Rainbow’, and ‘Fordhook Giant’.
PLANT
Swiss chard is one of the few plants that novice gardeners can grow from seed sown directly in the garden. As soon as the ground is workable in spring, plant the seeds 1 cm (½ inch) deep in soil that’s rich in organic matter. Space the seeds 1 to 3 cm (1 to 1¼ inches) apart in rows 20 cm (8 inches) apart. Keep well watered and the seeds will germinate in 7 to 14 days. Thin seedlings to the spacing recommended on the seed packet as soon as chard has developed 3 to 5 leaves.
When growing from transplants, space them 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches) apart in the garden. If you’re planting Swiss chard in containers, ensure the pots have adequate drainage and use potting soil.
You can sow Swiss chard in the garden again in late summer for an additional fall harvest!
Make sure you fertilize at the right time. Water-soluble fertilizers such as compost teas, fish emulsions, and synthetics like 20-20-20 are best applied after rain or watering. When the soil is moist, the roots can absorb the nutrients more easily.
GROW
The two Ws are a must with Swiss chard: weeding and watering. Weeds will constantly compete for moisture and nutrients and attract unwanted pests, so remove them weekly. To minimize weed growth and maximize moisture retention, use mulch to a depth of 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches).
Ideally, your crop should get 20 to 30 mm (1 to 2 inches) of water per week, but once the plants are established you can get away with occasional deep soaking during periods with no rain. Swiss chard may “burn up” during lengthy periods of heat, especially if it’s not watered. If this happens, salvage what you can and re-sow in late summer for a fall harvest.
Swiss chard grown in containers must be fertilized. I recommend at least twice per month using a fish emulsion or water-soluble 20-20-20 fertilizer.
This vegetable may be the target of furry friends, including deer and rabbits, and may be enjoyed by slugs, snails, aphids, and even cutworms. But with minimal care (slug baits are a good idea), you should not have much trouble with these pests. Other ways to reduce the risk of infestation include avoiding planting near beets or spinach and rotating crops annually to ensure Swiss chard is not planted in the same location in successive years.
HARVEST
With Swiss chard you can go big or small. You can remove just a few leaves by breaking them off (harvest the large outer leaves only, allowing smaller ones to mature) or cut a whole bunch with a sharp knife. Harvest in early to mid-morning, just before the dew dries. Cut the stalks 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) from the base. Bundle and wrap the ends in damp newspaper or place them in water.
Within 3 to 5 days, chard will start to regrow from the base, allowing for additional harvests if there’s enough growing time left in the season!
STORE
Wash Swiss chard just before use. Swiss chard can be stored for up to 10 days in resealable bags in the refrigerator. Another option is to blanch the leaves in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, drain, cool, and freeze in airtight containers.
Put It to Work
Need to drop weight fast? Try the Swiss chard shredder!
You’ve probably heard of miracle diets that promise you’ll lose 10 pounds or more in a week. Well, guess what: This one works! If your doctor gives you the go-ahead, this 4-week diet will help you lose weight fast without any rebound if you stick to a healthy lifestyle thereafter.
The “chard cleanse” helps detoxify the liver, balance blood sugar, regulate your bowels, clear your skin, strengthen your bones, and help you shed pounds! Aim to do this twice annually (4 weeks each time). Caution: Do not proceed if you are pregnant or have diabetes.
The 7-day chard juice primer: During this primer, don’t eat or drink anything but what is recommended each day. Drink about 6 ounces at a time, 7 to 10 times daily. The limits on solid foods are described below. There is no limit on your consumption of pure water.
Juice the following each day (enough to make 42 ounces of juice), storing it in individual 6-ounce serving sizes for convenience. Keep refrigerated or in an insulated lunch bag and shake before drinking. Be warned: I never said this would taste like a milkshake!
2 lb Swiss chard
½ cup ground turmeric (reduces and clears any lingering inflammation)
2 pineapples or 4 cups fresh pineapple chunks (the bromelain enzyme will cleanse the small intestine)
Freshly squeezed juice of 3 lemons (acidifies, detoxifies, and cleanses the liver)
Limit yourself to the following solid foods each day for 7 days:
• 2 servings of berries (½ cup per serving)
• 4 cups of lightly steamed vegetables
• ½ cup of whole grain (quinoa, kasha, and buckwheat are all good choices) mixed with ½ cup of any bean or legume, seasoned with fresh herbs from your garden
• ½ cup of plain low-fat unsweetened yogurt
A day in your life while on the 7-day primer looks something like this:
• Morning (on waking): 6 ounces of Swiss chard juice
• Breakfast: ½ cup of whole-grain and bean mixture accompanied by ½ cup plain low-fat yogurt and 1 serving of berries
• Mid-morning: 6 ounces of Swiss chard juice
• Half an hour before lunch: 6 ounces of Swiss chard juice
• Lunch: 2 cups of lightly steamed vegetables
• An hour after lunch: 6 ounces of Swiss chard juice
• Mid-afternoon: 6 ounces of Swiss chard juice
• Dinner: 2 cups of lightly steamed vegetables and ½ cup of whole-grain and bean mixture
• An hour after dinner: 6 ounces of Swiss chard juice
• Snack: 1 serving of berries
• Before bed: 6 ounces of Swiss chard juice
You might experience common detoxification symptoms such as mild nausea, loose bowels, headaches, muscular aches and pains, and skin rashes. Don’t be alarmed by these symptoms. Consult with your doctor if any symptoms persist after the week you are on this primer, to make sure they are not caused by an illness or infection.
The 21-day brown rice cleansing diet: On day 8, you’re ready to move on to the brown rice diet for the next 3 weeks. You’ll receive all the nutrition your body needs while you’re on this diet. You don’t have to go hungry, and you don’t have to count calories or weigh food. You are allowed to eat when you’re hungry, but stop before you’re overly full. Try the Japanese practice of hara hachi bu, which means eating until you are 80% full. It’s better to eat several small meals a day rather than three large ones.
Swiss chard is both edible and ornamental, offering colour through its foliage in gardens and in containers. It boasts a range of stem colours, from ruby red through to hot pink, white through to golden yellow. Pictured here are ‘Ruby Red’, ‘Large White Ribbed’, and ‘Rhubarb’.
Here’s what’s allowed on the diet:
• Protein: lentils, rice cakes, sesame seeds, ocean fish, organic free-range chicken, hummus, tofu, and tempeh
• Carbohydrate: organic brown rice (no more than 1 cup twice daily)
• Vegetables: Focus on Swiss chard every day. Add other veggies you like, lightly steamed. Onions are especially good for cleansing and are very sweet and tasty when steamed. Try a plate full of carrots or broccoli with fresh garlic.
• Fruits: any kind except oranges (including orange juice), bananas, and dried fruits. It’s best to consume only organic produce whenever possible. However, as this is not always possible, buy locally grown seasonal fruits and vegetables and wash them thoroughly before eating.
• Seasonings: cayenne pepper and a no-salt herbal seasoning; lots of fresh garlic and gingerroot
• Drinks: Water is always best. Use vegetable or fruit juice minimally (it’s best if fresh-pressed from a juicer). Otherwise use juices with no additives, sugar, or chemicals, and little or no salt (a good variety can be found in health food stores).
Fast Forward
Fast forward to the health food store to purchase Natural Factors L-Glutathione Reduced Form or equivalent. Follow the instructions on the label.
Cautions
Swiss chard is perfectly safe when eaten in normal quantities. The leaves contain oxalic acid, which may be problematic for people with urinary tract stones. The vegetable also has a high vitamin K content and should be avoided by those taking anticoagulants such as warfarin.