What to do with Swiss Chard

I made a dish called Eggs in a Nest from a book I read back in January entitled Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver with Stephen L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver. If you're interested in where food comes from or what you're really eating when you purchase most of your food from the local grocer you might want to read this book. It's fascinating. The three authors are three members of a family who move to a farm and live off the land for a year. The authors daugther Camille added recipes and stories along with way of life as a college student eating unlike most college students. One of the recipes is Eggs in a Nest.


I added a little salt and pepper and parmesan cheese to the top of the eggs once they were poached. Clever Husband and Busy Girl loved it. They added some Tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) to theirs for some extra flavor. These photos are backwards and I don't have time to rearrange them now, but here what the chard looks like after it's been sauteed. I'm making the indentations for the eggs.

As you can see the raw chard below filled the cast iron skillet before it cooked down.

Here's the sauteed onion, garlic, carrots and dried tomatoes which are under the chard. I wasn't sure I'd like this combination with the tomatoes, but that was one of my favorite flavors in this dish. I used Sun-Dried tomatoes in olive oil.

Here's the brown rice in the cooker ready to go.

Why Grow it in the first place?

To be honest we've had some curious looks when we run down the list of the veggies we're growing when it comes to Swiss Chard. Some folks nod and smile and you can tell they're wondering why in the world we'd grow it, or they've never heard of it and don't want to appear ignorant of the lovely plant. Swiss Chard is in the beet family so the green tops look close to beet greens. The stalks which hold these leaves look like skinny celery or rhubarb stalks in colors ranging from pale green to deep red and even pink and yellow.
Swiss chard loaded with nutritious vitamins including vitamins K, A, C and E, plus several B vitamins, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron and dietary fiber. Calcium is also in these beautiful plants along with cancer-fighting properties. The reason it's called Swiss Chard is because a swiss bontaist named Koch gave it's official scientific name of beta vulgaris. See told you it was in the beet family. That name doesn't conjure up affection toward this plant, but instead I read it "Vulgar Beets." Don't be alarmed! Nothing vulgar about this plant at all.

Greening up your diet can do nothing but good for your body so planting swiss chard is an easy way to add some healthy greens to your table. We bought "Bright Lights" which is a combo of colors and planted the seeds in late March. We've been harvesting the leaves for the past week and the plants show no signs of stopping. Cut the outside leaves with scissors just like lettuce and it keeps producing from the center of the plant.

Any takers willing to try adding swiss chard to their menus this week or to their gardens? Try the Eggs in a Nest for a nutritious meatless meal. It fills you up with lots lots good fiber, greens, and veggies, along with the protein in the egg and brown rice.

Here's to brave palates and colorful garden vegetables!

Baby broccoli and berries!

Nope this guy is not looking for broccoli and berries through those binoculars.

He's just taking a break from gardening and observing this red-bellied woodpecker enjoy our suet cake across the yard. I can't do a garden update without showing what's blooming in the flower garden. Right below this feeder is a new columbine my mom gave me for Mother's Day. I had to put it near the bird feeder and under the red bud. The beauty of these flowers amazes me. I have some solid pale pink and some white, but nothing as fancy as this bloom.

Here's a rhodedendron we've had for 17 years. It's one of three we planted, and still blooms it's little heart out for our enjoyment.

Here's Maggie, the Queen of the deck! She's 13 years old and spend most of her days sleeping in the garage in her crate. This is her choice. We crate trained here when she was a puppy and she still likes the comfort of her own space in the crate. She's moving slowly as arthritis is settling in her hind quarters, but she still dances when my husband comes home as he's the one who feeds her. This dog lives for food.

The mastermind behind the garden is my husband. He's been great about doing all the heavy lifting when needed, and is just like a little kid in his enthusiasm. He's enjoying a rest in the hammock swing while petting Shadow.

The potatoes are growing quicker than we can keep the straw and grass cuttings piled up under them. We'll put a some kind of enclosure around the outside of the box so we can continue to fill and cover the plants to encourage vertical potatoes.

The onions, carrots, lettuce and corn are doing well. We'll replace the lettuce with other crops as soon as it gets hot. Probably peppers seedlings I have ready and waiting. The spinach has already bolted and I miss adding it to my salads.

Our blueberry and strawberry plants are covered to protect them from the cat birds and others who like berries. My husband built this lightweight covering out of chicken wire and a four-sided bottom. He lashed it together with plastic trash ties. It's easy to lift off to access the berries. Ooooh, I can't wait to pick these lucious blueberries some morning in June and enjoy them with some yogurt.

Above are the tomato plants we put in May 14. We've planted Celebrity, Old German, Brandywine, and Better Boys. There's one more yellow variety in there also.

Below is the tomato box with the broccoli/cabbage/cauliflower box in the foreground. These three vegetables were bought as plants in tiny six packs from our local Farmer's Coop. We planted them on a cold rainy day in March.

" .......but God gave the growth." Look at them now! Big healthy plants. Some didn't make it, so we immediately filled those available squares with extra beets and swiss chard.

This past week we began seeing the baby broccoli heads.

We're amazed at how easy square foot gardening has been for us. No digging and no weeding has been the best part. Looking forward to a boutiful harvest! I'd love to see other gardens, so if you've got one tell me what's growing in your corner of the world.

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. 1 Cor. 3: 6-9

Table Runner Giveaway

One of my favorite places to dream about decorating is The Lettered Cottage. I love Layla's style and wish I could bring her to my home for a week and help me finish my basement decorating.

The photo above shows a cool burlap table runner she's giving away on her blog. Here's the info. about who made it and how you could win it for your home. http://theletteredcottage.blogspot.com/2009/05/coastline-contest.html

The woman who makes these Grace has an etsy shop which can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7044601

If you win Grace will put whatever letter you want on yours. Love it!

You can read more about Grace here on her blog, and she's even having a giveaway, too.

Check it out ChristanandAllegra.blogspot.com

Recession Garden update

See this empty bed? We're impatiently awaiting May 15 to transplant our tomato plants into neat rows. We'll plant them deep as tomatoes send out more roots when planted this way. Below are the tomatoes waiting to be snugged into their new bed. Today we added more composted cow manure and vermiculite along with crushed egg shells to add calcium to the tomato bed. I've been saving egg shells since before Easter, and today I crushed my collection into a powder before dusting the bed.

Here is our potato bed. We've planted Klondike Gold, Russets, Redskin, and sweet potatoes into this bed. As they come up we'll continue adding more straw and dry grass clippings so the plant will become a vertical producer of more potatoes.

Here are the strawberry plants surrounding the blueberry bush. I was checking today and there are lots of strawberry blossoms promising sweet red berries. Mmmm......

The red, yellow and white onion sets are coming up nicely. We've lost a few cauliflower and broccoli plants perhaps due to too much rain this spring; or it could be we set them out a bit too early. Yep there's Maggie watching the broccoli grow. We're wondering if she'll live much longer.

We've picked enough baby spinach and lettuce leaves for a few salads and some added crunch to our sandwiches. Some days we snack on it as soon as we bring it in and wash off the dirt.
This photo shows the layout of six plants in the square foot.


It's amazing to me how a big head of cabbage will grow from this lowly plant.

This Friday I'll be planting tomatoes, peppers and eggplant into the garden. My neighbor has planted his tomatoes and placed large cardboard boxes over them to keep them protected from any chance of late spring frost and to keep the deer from snacking on the tender leaves. He's cut windows in the boxes for light. Each year we're neck and neck in the first red tomato race. Stayed tuned!

Business Busy-ness

I know I've neglected this blog, but for the past month I've been creating a new business with a friend who's also a floral designer. We worked together and when our employer closed their storefront we decided we loved what we were doing so much we didn't want to stop. So the flowers live on through DellaBlooms and Gifts. Here's the link to the business blog http://www.dellabloomsandgifts.vpweb.com/ There are photos of samples of our work. If you live in the Maryland, Virginia or DC area we can help you with your event, large or small. Call us for a free consultation.

I have a huge garden update with pictures coming soon. Stay posted you faithful few readers, and comment to let me know you're out there. Several friends say they follow my blog but never make a peep. I love comments and want to hear from you! I'm off to a wedding consultation.

Phillipians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Spontaneous Date

See Thomas Jefferson inside looking out over the tourists?

The low hanging branches arching out over the water look like sticks with pink glittery jewels.

Over the years of visiting this sight it's common to see a Japanese bride and groom having wedding photos taken with these gorgeous blossoms paling to the gorgeous couple.

The tulip library is much more stunning than this picture allows. Over one hundred varieties are displayed here in a very small space.

There are so many photo ops with the branches framing the Washington Monument which stands as a sentinel over our nation's capitol.

We live near Washington, D.C. and have incredible opportunities of sight-seeing. But our normal routine marches on and we don't always take time to make the trek to the city. Clever husband said recently he'd never gone down to the the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms and he'd like to do so this year. We've had some typical strange spring weather here which ranges from sunny and warm to brisk and flurries within 24 hours. Planning to go before the winds blew the blossoms off, yet avoiding the parade of tourists was like walking a tight-rope. Clever husband called yesterday and asked me to be ready in an hour; we were going to the Tidal Basin.
Parking was a breeze, and the walk around the basin was magnificent. Thanks CH for a wonderful spontaneous date. And thank you Japan for your gift of these beautiful trees to our country.

What would you see if you were a spontaneous tourist in your area? Where would you like to go on a spontaneous date with your mate? Hmmm..... I'm thinking of making a list to keep on hand for those times when we've got time to go. Afterall, this is an advantage of having an Open Nest in this season of life.

Garden questions and catch of the day

I''ve had several friends and family members ask questions regarding my garden, so I'll attempt to answer them here for all to benefit. First of all, check out the beds once they've been grided with twine. Cool, huh? In the second edition of Square Foot Gardening they suggest using lath, but to grid the beds and it is very white and pretty, but also pricey, so we found twine works just as well.

This second pic. shows a close up so you can see the holes and seedlings. It's amazing how many plants you can put in these beds. So far we've planted sweet, yellow, and red onions, radishes, peas, several lettuce varieties, swiss chard, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, and corn. A friend asked for the dirt recipe. Ha! I've had lots of recipe requests over the years, but I think this is my first one for "dirt." Here it is:

1 part compost

1 part peat moss

1 part vermiculite

Mix all together and fill beds. Our layers are: Newspapers, shredded leaves, and then the special dirt.

Someone else asked why this method might be better than container gardening. It's a huge space saver, and like I said above you can plant so much more in these 4x4 or 8x4 beds. Square Foot Gardening suggest you feed the plants some kind of fertilizer as the soil will become depleted eventually. This is why container medium should be replaced each year. There's nothing left to give to the plants.

These next photos are not gardening related, but I guess they would fall into the category of clever self-sufficiency. Kudos to my sons Carter and Blake who caught these trout on opening day in the Patapsco River.
The before and after shots of the trout. See that beautiful golden crust with all the flecks of orange zest and cilantro? Mmmmmmmm...... my mouth is watering just looking at it and remembering how good it was.

Carter's girlfriend, April found a tasty recipe for Salt-Crusted Trout and they treated us to a lovely dinner. The salt mixture included cilantro, orange zest, pepper, lemon juice, and basil. When it was baked the crust was cracked and each fish brushed off. It was incredibly moist and yummilicious. I know that's not a word, but it was the perfect word to describe the trout. They served it with rice, and this wonderful Thai cucumber salad.

You don't know how much it thrills me that my kids are clever enough to fish and are also creative in the kitchen with the catch of the day.

I'm leaving you with a gorgeous Maryland spring sunset. Enjoy your weekend with those you love. If you can't be with them, commit to praying for them.

Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the Love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 8:39