Chard???
 

I jut found a recipe for chard with quinoa and mushrooms...but when does chard come in season? I've been looking for it at my walmart store, but they haven't had it in the last couple of months since I started looking. I LOVE spinach and thought this might be a nice alternative. I've never eaten it before, but I'm up for trying if I can ever find some...and if it isn't ninetyleven dollars a pound.

Barb

The only place I've seen it is Whole Foods, which pretty much carries it year-round.

We don't have a Whole Foods here :-( One of my friends who used to live here used to buy it at the walmart...and I thought she bought it all year. UGH!

I don't think Walmart carries it. I just bought some two weeks ago at a Texas chain called HEB, but I have never seen it at Walmart. If you have a moderately nice grocery store, like Safeway, Kroger, etc. they might have it, those are about like HEB.

Chard grows like a weed and often year round depending on the climate. You can sub pretty much any green that is not too tough- even those rampant dandelions growing in your flower beds :)

LOL! I think they have Kale all the time. I've never tried that either. I don't wanna go pick the dandelions from the yard. I wanna kill 'em!

Barb

Here in Los Angeles this is a fall & winter veggie, I plant it in Oct -- I grow the "bright lights" variety in my garden it's so pretty and really delicious too!

Love your name and your siggie, Katie! I looked for chard again at our walmart today and they didn't have it. When I go to Albertson's I'll look there, otherwise, I may have to wait until I'm in a bigger city to find it. We have to go through Billings, Montana in a few weeks on the way to a craft show so maybe someone there has it.

Barb

They have it at meijer here if you have one. They just had some last week. I made a recipe with it and you for sure can sub spinach! It said so in the recipe I made so I would assume it would be the same for you :)

I grow chard in an Aerogarden in my basement!

It's beautiful stuff! Very tender, I chop it up and use as salad greens as often as not. I got started growing it because we don't often see it in the stores and on those occasions I do see it, it is, uh, not fresh and kind of gross. So growing it was my only option.

It is an easy vegetable to grow, in or outdoors. But it is not fond of being transplanted, so best to grow from seed.

Grow some chard in a clay pot
 

Hi Barb,
I'm in North East Texas where we are having very cold temps and chard is growing in the landscape here for color (the red-stem variety) during the present winter season at the apartments. It's a little limp looking at the moment due to the snow, but still would be okay for cooking. That said, it is a cool weather plant and probably grows during all seasons except terribly hot ones when the heat would cause it to "bloom" or bolt as gardeners say, and go to seed.
The leaves are thicker and tougher than most spinach, but saute-ing the chard in a skillet or teflon pan with water or small amount of olive oil allows the leaves to become tender and succulent. When I grew it in the past, I used it raw in place of lettuce in a sandwich.
I wash the leaves and stack them on a cutting board to slice into pieces, like you would cut leaf lettuce. Good luck on your adventure with unfamiliar foods! - Belinda

What is an aerogarden?
 

Wow, that's fabulous! I want to know more.

Thanks Belinda! I still haven't found any. I need to remember to look at Albertson's next time I'm there. I wonder if Sam's or Costco carries it. We go there sometimes. It's in Billings, 2 hours away.

Barb