Fordhook Chard

Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris

Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard was introduced in 1934 by W. Atlee Burpee and Co. This heirloom subspecies of Swiss chard features dark green, highly textured leaves with white veins and stalk.

Storage: Place chard in a plastic storage bag and wrap the bag tightly around the chard, squeezing out as much of the air from the bag as possible. Place in refrigerator in the cripsing drawer where it will keep fresh for up to 5 days.

Preparation: After washing the chard, stack it together, trim the ends of the stems, then cut the stems from the leaves. If there are thick ribs in the leaves, cut them out. Chard cooks fast, and can easily be sauteed, braised, or eaten raw.

Taste: Tender, sweet, and velvety with a taste similar to spinach and beet greens.  Rainbow chard and swiss chard taste the same

Nutritional Benefits: Swiss chard is a nutritional powerhouse -- an excellent source of vitamins K (more than 300% of your daily requirement!), A (for eye health), and C (for immunity), as well as a good source of calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, sodium, phosphorus, Vitamin E, potassium, iron, and fiber.