Swiss Chard.

All my early years I remember my father tending his gardens. Because of his love of small scale farming I of necessity developed a taste for vegetables, a fondness I retain to this day. Well not all vegetables mind you; there was always eggplant and acorn squash to send me fleeing to the hills — hills I might add devoid of eggplant and acorn squash.

Swiss chard was always a favorite, although I cannot say exactly why. You can eat the entire plant, stem and all. It is packed with nutrients, making spinach look puny by comparison. Take that, Popeye! Here is a cool fact: In Australia chard is called silverbeet. Once again the Aussies win the battle of veggie names. I mean who else would call a cantaloupe a “rock melon”. Nice.

Anyway, just a shout out to my friend: swiss chard (or silverbeet)