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Chard Delivery or Pickup
The Instacart guide to chard products
About chard
A dark, leafy green chard is a versatile and nutritious vegetable you can prepare in many ways. You may recognize chard from Mediterranean cuisine, especially in Italian dishes like pasta, risotto, and even pizza. You'll find various chard types available, including red chard, golden chard, and Swiss chard, the latter of which is the best known of the bunch.
Chard's flavor depends on how you cook it, though you can generally compare the flavor to spinach. Chard, particularly Swiss chard, can have a bitter taste. Cooking chard usually cuts down on the bitterness so that you can enjoy a more pronounced sweet and earthy flavor that's similar to beets. Chard is also just as versatile as spinach, and you can easily use it in everything from salads to stir-fries to soups and more.
Chard is related to beets, with greens that appear similar to beet greens. However, you can't eat the root of chard. You can eat both the stem and leaves of this vegetable, though. You'll recognize the green leaves by their bumpy, grooved texture. The stem is thick and colorful.
Chard varietals have stems of different colors, and those hues span from purple to white. Chard with red, gold, or white stems are the most commonly found types. Swiss chard is the name for the variety with white stems, while rainbow chard refers to all those varieties packed together.
Like other dark, leafy greens, chard delivers plenty of nutrition. You'll get vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin K, along with iron, manganese, magnesium, and potassium. Chard is low in calories as well.
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How to pick out chard
Summer is the peak season for chard, though you can often find it throughout the year. You'll want to pick out chard that has colorful stalks and bright green leaves. Both the stalks and the leaves should be firm. Brown stalks and leaves wilting or turning yellow can indicate chard that is no longer at optimal freshness.
How to preserve chard
Chard will store best if you separate the stems and leaves. You can keep separated stems and leaves in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you leave the chard whole and wrap it loosely in plastic, it will keep in the refrigerator for around two days. You can store separated stems wrapped in plastic. First, store leaves on paper towels, then roll them into a bundle before you seal them in plastic bags.
You can either rinse chard right before you use it or wash before storing. If you first wash your chard, you'll just need to ensure it dries completely before you store it.
Chard is best when served fresh, but you can store frozen chard for up to a year. If you plan to freeze chard, you'll want to separate leaves and stems. Blanch each part in boiling water, the stems for two minutes, and the leaves for one, then drain well before you package in separate freezer bags. Remove as much air as you can from the bags.
You can also ferment chard stems in water and then store them in a jar for three to six months in the refrigerator. This storage method creates a good topping for a salad.
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FAQs about chard
Whether you eat chard raw or cooked, this nutritious vegetable is easy to prepare. Make sure you rinse the chard thoroughly before eating, as the leaves can trap dirt. Young leaves work well raw in dishes, such as salads. Because more mature leaves tend to be tougher, they're best when cooked.
Sauteing chard is one of the most common ways to cook the green, but you can use various other methods, such as steaming, roasting, or grilling. You'll want to remove stems and ribs from the leaves as they can be fibrous and tough. Some cooks use chard stems separately — you can cook chard stems as you would asparagus. When you're removing the leaves from the stems, simply fold each leaf in half and then cut along its stem.
In terms of cooking possibilities and taste, chard is comparable to spinach. However, chard is usually grouped with specialty greens like kale in supermarkets.
Chard and kale have leaves with similar textures. Both chard and kale are best served with the leaves taken off the stems. However, you can cook chard stems, so they become tender, while kale stems don't tenderize and are usually discarded.
The biggest difference between chard and kale is the taste. Kale has an earthy, strong, and somewhat bitter flavor that not everyone enjoys. Chard, on the other hand, is much milder. That makes chard a go-to vegetable that's easy to add to your diet when you're trying to eat healthier.