Swiss chard: season and benefits
Seasonal calendar - Swiss chard
Nutritional values
Very low in calories, Swiss chard is rich in magnesium and vitamin K, essential for bones and blood clotting.
Storage
Swiss chard keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge vegetable drawer, wrapped in a damp cloth. Separate the stalks from the leaves as they have different cooking times. The leaves freeze like spinach. Blanched stalks also freeze very well.
Origin
Swiss chard is native to the Mediterranean basin, a cousin of beetroot. Greeks and Romans already cultivated it. It is a pillar of Niçoise and Provençal cooking, featuring in the sweet chard tourte, a unique speciality. Chard cultivation has mainly persisted in the south of France.
Cooking Swiss chard
Goes well with
Recipe ideas
- Swiss chard stalk gratin
- Niçoise chard tourte
- Garlic-sautéed chard
- Chard and goat's cheese tart
- Chard in cream sauce
Did you know?
In Nice, the "tourte de blettes" is a sweet dessert where chard leaves are mixed with raisins, pine nuts and sugar — a surprising but delicious combination.