How to Store Chard
- Store Swiss chard cold and moist, 32°-40°F (0°-5°C) and 95 percent relative humidity. Place chard in the refrigerator in a perforated plastic bag in the vegetable crisper section. Chard will keep in the refrigerator for about 10 days.
- Chard that is stored too cold or too long will develop brown spots on the midrib and the leaves will wilt and yellow.
- Remove any blemished or wilting leaves from the bunch.
- Wrap the stalks of the chard in a slightly damp paper towel or cloth.
- Place the chard in an open plastic bag or perforated plastic bag. Store in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
What can you use instead of Swiss chard?
- Mature spinach.
- OR - Mustard greens.
- OR - Cavalo Nero (Black Tuscan) kale, longer cooking time.
- OR - Large bok choy.
How do you preserve Swiss chard?
Part 3 Part 3 of 3: Storing Swiss Chard
- Lay the leaves on kitchen towels until all your batches are done.
- Separate them into serving sizes. You can either weigh them on a scale or measure cup-sized servings.
- Squeeze the serving together to pack it tightly. ...
- Stuff them into freezer bags, leaving only 2 inches of headspace. ...
- Separate the stems into serving sizes. ...
How to grow Swiss chard for Amazing harvests all season?
Quick Guide: Planting, Growing & Harvesting Swiss Chard
- Productive spring through fall
- Look for varieties with brightly-colored stems
- Direct seed 2-4 weeks before last frost into nutrient-rich, well-drained soil; water regularly
- Harvest 50-65 days after planting seeds by cutting outer leaves ½ in. above the ground
- Very few pests, but watch for flea beetles
How long does the Swiss chard stay fresh?
You can keep Swiss chard fresh in the refrigerator anywhere from a few days up to a week if you follow the proper steps. Leave it unwashed. Do not wash your Swiss chard leaves before storing them in the fridge. Wrap your Swiss chard. Loosely wrap your chard in a damp cloth or paper towel. Keep the chard in a bag. How do you refrigerate greens?
How do you store Swiss chard long term?
Remove chard from water and immerse in an ice water bath for 2 minutes. Drain. Pack in zip-closure freezer bags or freezer containers, leaving no headspace. Label, date and freeze at zero degrees for up to one year.
Should fresh chard be refrigerated?
Raw Swiss chard should be kept in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to 3 days. Rinse well in water just before using. Cooked Swiss chard will keep in an air tight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. You can also freeze it for up to 12 months.
How do you wash and store Swiss chard?
How to Store Swiss Chard in the RefrigeratorLeave it unwashed. Do not wash your Swiss chard leaves before storing them in the fridge. ... Wrap your Swiss chard. Loosely wrap your chard in a damp cloth or paper towel. ... Keep the chard in a bag.
Can you freeze fresh Swiss chard without blanching?
Yes, but it depends on how you want to use it and how quickly. If you plan to use the frozen chard within a few weeks, there is no need to blanch it first. But unblanched chard left in the freezer too long will turn brown because of enzyme actions which will change the texture, flavor, and coloring.
How do you know when Swiss chard is ready?
Harvest Swiss chard when the leaves are tender and big enough to eat. Swiss chard is ready for picking 30 days after sowing if you want baby leaves. Harvest chard 45 to 60 days after sowing if you want full-sized leaves with a thick midrib.
Is Swiss chard safe to eat raw?
Chard contains 3 times the recommended daily intake of vitamin K and 44 percent of the recommended amount of vitamin A. This vegetable can help to combat cancer, reduce blood pressure, and enhance performance in sports. Swiss chard can be eaten raw or cooked.
Do you eat the stems of Swiss chard or just the leaves?
Swiss Chard is entirely edible, including the leaves and stems. The stems need a little more cooking time than the leaves because they have a lot of cellulose that needs to soften for longer. The leaves cook quickly.
What can I do with a lot of chard?
Chard can be steamed or sauteed, and it's great in soups, stews, casseroles, frittatas and quiches. Young leaves can be eaten raw in salads. Chard always has green leaves, but the stalks can be a variety of colors.
How do you reduce the bitterness in chard?
4 ways to cook the bitterness out of Swiss chardSeparate leaves from the midrib. Swiss chard stems tend to have more bitterness than the leaves. ... Blanching, parboiling, or braising. ... Pickling. ... Add salt, fat, or acid.
Can you freeze fresh Swiss chard?
If you're suffering from salad fatigue, or just can't eat another plate of sautéed spinach, we've got good news: Leafy greens are one of the easiest things to preserve. You can't preserve tender lettuce, but hardier greens like Swiss chard and kale lend themselves perfectly to freezing.
Does Swiss chard grow back every year?
Chard is a biennial plant, meaning it has a two year life cycle, but it is cultivated as an annual in the vegetable garden and harvested in its first season of growth. Once it begins to flower and set seed in its second year, its leaves turn bitter and unpalatable.
How long does chard last in freezer?
How long does Swiss chard last in the freezer? Properly stored, Swiss chard will maintain best quality in the freezer for about 12 months, but will remain safe beyond that time. The freezer time shown is for best quality only - Swiss chard that has been kept constantly frozen at 0°F will keep safe indefinitely.
How do you store fresh chard and kale?
Storing them with a paper towel or dish cloth helps keep them fresher longer because it absorbs the excess moisture that could encourage the greens to wilt. You can do this with sturdy greens like kale and Swiss chard -- and those will stay good for two weeks in the fridge -- as well as any delicate lettuces and herbs.
How do you keep freshly fresh leaves in the fridge?
Storing leafy greens to keep them fresh Leafy greens stay fresh longer if they're rinsed, wrapped in a paper towel or tea towel, and refrigerated in a container or sealed plastic bag. You can do this with lettuce greens, bok choy, Swiss chard, kale and spinach.
How do you store kale and Swiss chard?
Sturdy greens like kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, mustard greens and others can take up a lot of valuable real estate. You can store them in a fraction of the space — and prolong their life — by simply chilling them raw or cooked, or blanching and freezing them.
Can you eat the leaves of Swiss chard?
Chard stems take a little longer to cook than the leaves, but the whole plant is edible and delicious. It's a little bit sweet in the stems (which have a slight celery-like flavor) and pleasantly bitter in the leaves.
How to Harvest Chard
Harvest Swiss chard as close to mealtime as possible for the best flavor.
How to Store Chard
Store Swiss chard cold and moist, 32°-40°F (0°-5°C) and 95 percent relative humidity. Place chard in the refrigerator in a perforated plastic bag in the vegetable crisper section. Chard will keep in the refrigerator for about 10 days.
Did you make this recipe?
Place unwashed Swiss chard in a storage bag. You can use any type of plastic storage bags to keep your chard, just make sure that the bag has an airtight seal. Although a regular plastic storage bag will work just as well, if you will be storing your chard in the crisper section of your fridge, you may opt to use a perforated plastic bag.
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This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards.
When to harvest Swiss chard
The great thing about growing Swiss chard in your garden is that you can harvest it and it will regrow. You can harvest sooner, when its leaves are young and tender, about 6 inches or so (15.2 centimeters). This is ideal for using it like baby greens and fresh salads. This is about 30 days after planting.
How long can you keep Swiss chard in the fridge?
Leafy greens in general deteriorate quickly if improperly stored. How you store Swiss chard greatly affects its shelf life.
How to preserve Swiss chard
You’re just a few steps away from enjoying Swiss chard all year long. Let’s get started!
Can Swiss chard be canned?
Yesiree,Swiss chard can be preserved through canning. This method is more time-consuming however. Also, since chard is a “low-acid” vegetable, it should be processed using a pressure canner for safety measures.
Ideas on how to use Swiss chard
The flavor of Swiss chard leaves is similar to spinach, but a tad sweeter. Swiss chard stems are crunchy, slightly sweet with a taste similar to bok choy, and are sometimes used as a replacement for celery.
Author: Josh Tesolin
Josh is co-founder of RusticWise. When he’s not tinkering in the garden, or fixing something around the house, you can find him working on a vast array of random side projects.
Swiss Chard Harvest
Swiss chard, a member of the beet family, is known by a host of other names including silverbeet, perpetual spinach, spinach beet, sekale beet, crab beet, and mangold. Swiss chard is an attractive, leafy vegetable with a red stalk that produces an abundance of fresh greens all summer long, though many other varieties offer other colors as well.
When is Chard Ready to Pick
Chard can be harvested while the leaves are young and tender, smaller than 4 inches (10 cm.), or after maturity. Once you have begun your Swiss chard harvest, the plants can be continually harvested up until it frosts.
How to Pick Swiss Chard
The most common method for how to pick chard is to cut off the outer leaves 1 ½ to 2 inches (4-5 cm.) above the ground while they are young and tender, about 8 to 12 inches (20-31 cm.) long. Older leaves are often stripped off the plants and discarded to allow the young leaves to continue to grow. Be careful not to damage the terminal bud.
Tips
There are other ways to preserve Swiss Chard, including canning. Swiss chard must be pressure canned because of it's low acidity.
Warnings
Swiss chard does not store well. It is best to buy or harvest Swiss chard within 3 days of when you plan to eat it, and even closer if possible.
About This Article
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards.
