[djf]

Thank you!

I would like to mention a vegetable that I am trying that is doing VERY WELL here in the PNW.

It’s not a cruciferous one like cabbage or broccoli (both of which are very adapted to cool weather moist climates), supposedly, it is a type of beet.

Swiss Chard.

Large, luxuriant colored leaves loaded with nutrients, very versatile, I’ve already used it in soups and just like lettuce leaves on hamburgers.

Hardier than spinach when it warms up and less likely to bolt. I expect some good yields and am interested to see what happens when it flowers and I harvest the seeds.

[upcountry miss]

Swiss chard-LOL. That brought back memories. 70 years ago, my mother loved this veggie and planted it every year. I always loved the first couple times we had it, but that stuff, the more you picked it, the more it produced. I soon got sick of seeing it on the table. My sister,who passed away this winter, never got sick of it and feasted on it every spring. Just recently, I walked into a local store and there in front of me were those luxuriant leaves you speak of. I had all I could do to continue walking into the store and not return to my vehicle and bawl. It will be a while before I can plant it again-same thing with rhubarb, sis always kept bugging me asking if my rhubarb was ready yet.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Swiss Chard is a wonderful plant, it will even grow in a pot , indoors.

The first small eaves, I use as lettuce, try a mustard, cheese and chard sandwich....now that is good food.

It freezes well and I have dried it for later use and like it fine, in soups, etc.

Be sure to save the tough white stems for soups, they are packed with vitamin A, as I recall, could be off on which vitamin it is.

Chard is a good stirfry food.

LOL, did I say that I love chard?

Does not grow as large in Arizona as yours, but I get some for eating and that is a blessing.