Biceps fit on any balcony

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The beautiful red-stemmed vegetable adorns many balconies right now: Swiss chard. It’s time to take a closer look at this plant. The English name alone is remarkable: «Swiss Chard». The origin of the Swiss reference is not entirely clear. According to one possible explanation, the Swiss botanist Gaspard Bauhin (1560-1624) was the first to describe the vegetable. One thing is for sure: leafy vegetables are old. Chard, one of the oldest cultivated plants, was grown 4000 years ago in the coastal regions of the Mediterranean, for example in Sicily. It came to Central Europe in late antiquity.

Horticulturalist Scarlet Allenspach (32) knows a lot about chard. “A distinction is made between the chard leaf and the chard,” she says. The latter is also known as cabbage in Switzerland: the stem is thicker and the taste is sweet.

this is how you harvest

Chard is a great vegetable for the balcony: it is extremely easy to care for and will grow perfectly in pots as long as it doesn’t get too hot. Chard is well served to anyone who pays attention to local vegetables in their diet: unlike many other types of vegetables, chard can be harvested until winter. Allenspach recommends harvesting the outer leaves so that the plant can grow back from the middle. Since the leaves of the plant are also very popular with birds, it is best to protect them with a net or cling film while the plant is young.

you cook with him

Chard is rich in vitamins K, A and E as well as iron and magnesium. The herb is not only incredibly healthy, but also versatile in the kitchen. “Mangold never spoils food,” says Allenspach, and therefore likes to mix it with a variety of dishes. It can be used as an alternative to spinach in quiches, salads or pesto sauces. The leafy vegetable gained culinary fame with its use in the traditional Grisons dish, Capuns.

Source : Blick