Swiss Chard Soup

We got back from vacation this past weekend and I was itching to get in the garden and see what was growing...or not.

Most of the garden looks great but the Arugula and Red Mustard are done. Bolted. Over.  I pulled those out this morning and replanted both from seeds.  I have no idea if they will germinate since it is finally starting to get hot, but it was worth a try since they both make salads taste so good.  The garlic has sprouted their scapes so we can start popping those in salads (chopped up small since they are so potent).

One thing that grew like gang busters while we were gone was the Swiss Chard.  We had great success with it last year so I planted three squares of this year.  One square of regular old Swiss Chard and two squares of the "Bright Lights" variety which has different colored stems which jazz it up a little.  My main problem with chard last year was that it kinda looked so boring and was hard to make it look good.  Hopefully the "Bright Lights" tastes as good as it looks.


Our best use of chard last year was an Italian influenced Swiss Chard Soup.  Super easy to make.  Really good for you.  The kids eat it.  Winner!

I made this soup a bunch last year using different recipes until I settled on the following, enjoy!

Add caption

White Bean and Swiss Chard Soup
3 cups dried white beans* (soaked and ready to go) or two 15-oz cans white beans

1/2 lb bacon or 1/2 lb pancetta, chopped  (either will work, go pancetta if you want to be more authentic)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups chicken stock or broth (one 32 oz carton)
3 cups water
2 tablespoons shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 bay leaf
1/2 lb Swiss chard, stems removed and sliced thinly, stems chopped into 1/2 pieces
1 teaspoon salt

lots of freshly ground pepper to taste
Shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving

* cannellini beans, white northern beans, chick peas, butter beans

Cook bacon/pancetta in olive oil in a large 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5-8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Add onion to remaining oil/drippings and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for a minute. Add beans, chicken broth, water, shredded cheese, bay leaf, and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Stir in Swiss chard and salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with a few bits of crisp bacon/pancetta and shredded cheese.

Bacon cooking

Chard stems

Chard leaves

Simmering

Radishes

2011 is our third season planting radishes.  The first season was sort of a let down because I had no idea of when to harvest them and as a result they were super woody and real spicy.   Some even went to seed!

The second season was a little better.  We planted a cool heirloom variety, Cincinnati Market, and I really stayed on top of them and harvested them at the right time.  This variety is pretty cool in that the radishes look like small radish colored carrots.  They make great garnish!  The problem I had was that I only made one planting early in the spring and a result we only had radishes for a short time in late spring/early summer. We also started including the radish leaves (best when they are small) in salads for a nice peppery flavor.  I also experimented with Radish Leaf Pesto (here is the recipe I used) to mixed results.  The pesto was a little too bitter for the kids but I liked it on toast as a sort of bruschetta, a little goes a long way!

Now in our third season of growing radishes I feel like we are finally getting them right.  We planted three varieties in multiple succession plantings and as a result have been harvesting radishes like crazy with more still to come.  Since we garden Square Foot Style, space is at a premium, and the great thing about radishes is that if we start them early enough we can harvest a batch before it gets too hot and then use that square foot for something like a pepper or a tomato we started indoors.   I also have been "late planting" radishes in shady spots to see if we can get some good ones in the heat of the summer.  So far so good.  

We also have two out of three kids who are now wild about radishes (don't worry, I will get that third kid eating them) since the old rule about "kids who grow it will eat it" definitively seems to apply.  It also seems as if we will have radishes throughout the entire season.

Here are my new rules about radishes:

1. Plant different kinds early and often to ensure a good variety and abundant supply
2. Harvest them when they start to pop out of the ground
3. Use a very sunny spot, very early in the season, to get a quick harvest of radishes and then use that spot for a sun worshiper like tomatoes or peppers
4. Use the greens also

Next up, I will try and tweak that Radish Pesto recipe and report back.

Ready to be picked

Use those greens!

Just add a little salt...goes good with beer...

Update:
Later in the day I read about this...Quick Pickled Radishes.  I will try it for sure!

Pallet Planter

During my usual scouring of the internet for cool garden projects (which to me means small, vertical and looks good) I came across wood pallet planters.  These pallet planters provide a cheap, space efficient and readily available (if you are urban anyway) way to grow a variety of plants.

If you keep a look out you see these pallets all over in alleys and behind stores.  Keep in mind that there are different "grades" of pallets and that some them would be no good for vegetables since they are treated with nasty chemicals.

Most of the grocery stores by us always have pallets stacked up in back by the dumpsters.  Fortunately, our third floor tenant is the ultimate picker and he had two pallets for me about 5 minutes after I asked him to find some.  He sort of takes my requests as a challenge and always comes through.  Lucky me.  Most of my projects will feature Dan found materials!

Check this out for good instructions on how to build one (Make sure to read the comments about types of pallets and chemicals).   It is essentially what I did with great success:

Finished pallet planter

Landscape Fabric on the Back

Chicken Wire on the Inside Front

Planted with Lettuce and Flowers, about four weeks after planting seeds

Instead of potting soil I used my usual Square Foot Garden mix, what I use for planting everything, which is: 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 vermiculite.  I hung it up on the garage wall, in part to hide our ugly garage, filled it with the soil mix, then just crammed seeds into the soil.  On top it is filled with bib lettuce and some kind of tiny flowers, then rows of loose leaf lettuce, flowers, purple loose leaf lettuce and more flowers.

I see this lasting about 3-4 years before it falls apart, but we will see.  I plan on building a bunch of these and just covering the garage wall.

Most people think it looks cool, which the exception of the "botany experiment" comment, plus it is super functional and great on space.

Go build one!