A Nutritional-Dynamo

Writer: Tom Myrick

Sponsored By: LawnCare by Tom

The Sicilian Beet

Last spring at the Veggie-Bed, some delightfully colorful vegetables grew in the garden. With a green or red leaf blade attached to a white, yellow, or red leaf stalk these leaf vegetables accentuated the garden. Of course, we are talking about Swiss chard, aka the Sicilian beet.

Popular in Mediterranean countries this tasty leaf vegetable has made its way to the Veggie-Bed. A nutritional-dynamo, Swiss chard stores within its leaves phytonutrients that have disease preventing and health bolstering properties, many recipes of Swiss chard were served at our table.

Swiss chard along with some other leafy vegetables, such as beets and spinach, belong to the goosefoot family whereas their leaves look like a goose’s foot. Extremely proficient at extracting minerals from the soil into its leaves, Swiss chard develops a mineral-rich leaf.

Easy to grow and tolerates cool and warm weather, Swiss chard establishes well in a container or the ground. When planted in early spring it grows until early summer. A late summer planting of Swiss chard grows until a hard freeze in the fall.

Swiss chard has most definitely won its place at the Veggie-Bed this growing season.

Writer: Tom Myrick