Swiss chard is a leafy vegetable and a staple of Swiss cuisine. It is one of the key ingredients in their local cuisine and a must in capuns, a traditional Swiss dish consisting of spätzle dough mixed with dried meat, herbs and onions, wrapped in Swiss chard leaves. The Swiss also consume the leaves in a number of other local dishes, side dishes and as a garnish. The leaves offer a mild, earthy flavour, while the stems remain crisp, making it well-suited to eating raw.

In many cuisines, young Swiss chard leaves are usually preferred uncooked in salads. Young leaves are believed to taste better while older leaves, especially the ones from older, more mature leaves, are relatively bitter in taste. Versatile in the kitchen, Swiss chard can be sautéed, steam boiled and stir fried for consumption. Prolonged cooking can reduce its nutritional content.

Getting the most out of Swiss chard, whether raw or cooked, depends on knowing precisely when and how to pick it. The timing of the harvest depends on the way it is likely to be consumed. For instance, if the leaves are to be consumed raw or in salads, then the gardener would harvest baby leaves. Such baby Swiss........

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