Susan and her Swiss chard

By Susan Shanklin

I see the radar on the weather map showing red, yellow and green shapes moving into our area this morning, indicating heavy rainfall. Yikes, what should I do? I really should run out and harvest some Swiss chard. No, I best go take my multicolored coleus down which is hanging beside the big barn doors. Mmm, better yet, I should close the windows on the front porch so Belle, our new Lab/Shepherd, puppy, doesn’t get all wet.

There’s always so many things to do and they all seem to want to be done RIGHT NOW!

It’s getting darker outside and the trees are swaying and here I sit, talking to you. Ha! It’s far more enjoyable being with you than securing the plants, dog, and picking the chard. I guess you have to decide the important things in life first. What really matters the most and what really needs to be done RIGHT NOW.

I do have a personal theory about plants….. ”Suck it up plants! This is the Shanklin Ponderosa and you have to be hardy. Yes, the winds may come and the heat bear down on you…but toughen up. Stand up straight. Lift up your branches and bear much fruit!” Well, nice thinking, but I am a little more understanding than that. But all in all plants do have a destiny and a blue print for success and it’s my job to let them go for it.

Take for example the Swiss chard. Yes, it’s a vegetable….. You don’t see it much in the grocery store or at the farmer’s market. Why? Beats me! According to the Self Nutritional Data website Swiss chard is “very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol, a good source of Thiamin, Folate and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.” Hmmm. Sounds good to me.

Well, chard basically tastes and cooks up like spinach. So, if you like spinach but want more body and bulk, try Swiss chard. This is our first year for chard and I wonder, “Where have you been all these years of gardening?”

I bought a bunch of Rainbow Swiss Chard at the local coop last winter and fell in love with it, so in my seed order this year I purchased one pack and Tom planted it. Well you know me, I love color and I love plants. My chard is sooooo pretty you want to pick it and put it in a vase. The stems and veins are red and the rest is bright shades of green. It shoots up in a massive leaf that bumps and curls into what looks like a deformed peacock feather. I take turkey roaster pans to harvest it. The leaves are that BIG!

The interesting thing about these massive leaves is they cook down to nothing. Well, almost nothing. I put a huge mound of deformed “peacock feathers” lightly chopped into a large pan hot with a tad of olive oil with maybe a hint of minced garlic and pepper. Toss it a bit, put a lid on it for just a few minutes, and heaven awaits your taste buds!

Tom and I will eat it with our eggs in the morning or have it for lunch or dinner but the true destiny of most of our chard is the freezer. I go out to the garden and pick a leaf or two off of each plant and wash, blanch in hot water, chill, spin out the water, and pack in freezer bags. Later, I will take them out in the winter for summer-like taste bud heaven.

They say it’s never too late to try something new in your life. I returned to school when I was 42 to become a nurse and learned the art of stained glass in my mid-‘50s. Now that I’m in my EARLY-‘60s, ha, I lost 85 pounds. Now, that is trying something new—eating less!

Step out of the box people and try something new. Try CHARD! No, just kidding. Try doing something new today or tomorrow. You don’t live forever, so you best get going. There’s a whole lot of God-given gifts, talents, plans and opportunities for you. Go for it!