Nation Disowns Namesake Vegetable. Why?

We love Swiss Chard. It’s easy to grow, always bountiful, easy to cook and delicious. But for some reason our Swiss friends, Willi and Suzanna, deplore its very existence and insist they never heard of it until they came to America. Their Swiss friends say the same thing. Chard – we wash our hands of it.

Swiss Chard in all its glory

This is sad for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that it is the rare country that has a namesake vegetable. We say American corn on the cob, but that’s more a colloquialism than a proper name. When you go to buy your seeds in the spring, none of them say American anything. But Swiss Chard, there it is, proud and delighted to present itself for your gardening pleasure!

We ate chard as kids the German way, with a white sauce. But over the years this turned out to be too much work, and frankly not necessary. Now we simply slice some garlic cloves finely, do not mince, and start them in a tablespoon or so of olive oil. When they start to sizzle, add two large fistfuls of well washed chard, and turn it over in the hot oil until it wilts thoroughly. Salt and black pepper milled to taste. Done. Enjoy.