Very popular with chefs all over the mediterranean, chard is a green leafy vegetable that can be prepared much the same way as spinach. It has a bitter taste when eaten raw but the bitterness does subside when cooked.
Country of Origin - UK or Italy
Class - Minimum Class 2
When the British weather behaves, we get some lovely chard from John Guerin' Brickyard Farm in Somerset. Now that the British fields are getting a bit chillier, we're getting our chard from Ortofrutta Candela in Southern Italy, where the sun still shines enough for expert chard-growing. They've been organic since 2004, and grow fennel, celery, cauliflower and broccoli and, of course, this truly charming chard.
Wash the stems, then cut them into strips, removing the stringy parts as you go. You can cook these in salted water until tender. The leaves can also be steamed and treated much like spinach. Chard is best kept wrapped up in your fridge until you wish to use it. Suitable for home freezing.