Growing a Rainbow

We didn't do much planting this spring. Attempted sunflowers but the birds ate the seeds right out of the ground -we found the evidence sprinkled over the garden. The currents we planted last year are doing great, though. This year we got lots of black and red ones too. However, the girls and I have pretty much written currents off as inedible. They are sour, bitter and full of seeds. We do think they're beautiful. That counts for something, no?

On a whim I bought a big plastic planter and threw the rainbow chard seeds in it, the seeds I bought last year but never got too. My mom told me chard was easy to grow and she is definitely right. Early on I realized the plants were too crowded. I didn't thin them out, just let 'em go. I recently picked about half the plants and left the others to grow. The ones I picked are smaller and the stalks are paler than normal due to the crowding. The plants left are looking much better thanks to the extra space.

Does anyone know if I can freeze chard? I saw this post about freezing kale, but it looks like more effort than I'm willing to give. Please do leave a comment if you have a tip.

I sniffed out a handful of delicious sounding chard recipes. Yes, I could make more quiche, but my real man doesn't eat it. These recipes, though, look fit for a king. And a queen.

Orzo soup - love the addition of the egg whites, something a bit different.

Sauteed chard with garlic and lemon - um, did someone say garlic and lemon? yum.

Mushroom, chard and Gruyere lasagna - spells comfort food, doesn't it?

Tuscan bean and chard soup - sounds hearty and substantial.

Rainbow chard, pine nuts and feta - these are a few of my favorite things . . .

Rainbow chard with lemon, capers and Parmesan - it is the addition of the egg that seals the deal on this recipe for me. And the capers.

Swiss chard and red pepper gratin - Anything with the word gratin in it is fine by me.

Now for the real work. Actually making one of these recipes. I'll keep you posted on that.

Rainbow Chard

Have you seen this stuff? It is so beautiful. Never thought I'd say that about a vegetable, but it's true. Nature is amazing. I saw it being harvested while visiting a local farm last week. I couldn't leave without buying a bunch.

I used it in a quiche the next day. To cook the chard I followed this recipe from Epicurious. I cooked it for twice as long as called for. As for the quiche part, I followed these guidelines:

Any Kinda Quiche

6 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups filling*
1- 9 inch pie crust

Whisk eggs and milk together, add filling, pour into a ready made pie crust. I've found the frozen crusts bake better than the refrigerated pre-made crusts.

Bake at 350 for 40 - 50 minutes. Done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

* I used about 1 1/2 cups of cooked chard and 1/2 cup of Parmesano Reggiano cheese (for a milder taste, use regular Parmesan cheese)

It was delicious with the exception that the bottom crust didn't cook- but that's not the chard's fault.

Rainbow chard photo credit here. More Muffin Tin Mamas? Send me a comment and I'll add you to the post.