Chard (leaf beet) is more a vegetable than a vegetable, a large plant up to 60-70 cm tall. The chard is very beautiful, decorates a garden and even a flower garden, the varieties of red grain with carved leaves are especially beautiful. Chard grows better, affects a beautiful rose, in fertile and loose soils not acidic with enough moisture. The petioles of bright colors and the elegant chard leaves invariably attract attention and are a good garden decoration. For compact varieties of chard leaves, the recommended distance between the plants is about 25 cm, for the petiolate varieties with large leaves, double.
For decorative purposes, gardeners grow various varieties of chard, among which the varieties stand out:
Green leaf (with stems and green leaves, semi-permanent or semi-flattened rosette);
Silver-silver (with white-silver petioles, wavy or wavy leaves are dark green or yellow-green, the socket is straight or semi-permanent);
Red hot (with red raspberry or red violet petioles, dark green leaves with red veins, straight or semi-permanent rosette);
Yellow-yellow (with yellow or orange petioles, dark green leaves with golden streaks, semi-permanent rosette).
Young leaves and petioles are consumed, which contain carbohydrates, nitrogen substances, organic acids, carotene (up to 6 mg%), vitamins C (up to 60 mg%), B, B2, O, PP, P, potassium, calcium salts, phosphorus, iron, lithium, etc. The beet leaf - chard - is rich in vitamins, very pleasant to taste, and is one of the leaders in its performance: a plant can produce more than 1 kg of selected leaves and petioles.
Chard is much appreciated in early spring, when there is still little production of green vitamins. They use it to make salads, vinaigrettes, soups, beets, cold snacks and main dishes: they are cooked in oil and fat, such as spinach. The petioles are boiled in salted water and fried with breadcrumbs in oil. Sour leaves separately or with cabbage. Petioles can be pickled like cucumbers (cutting them and sticking them in cans vertically).
Chard has healing properties. It is very useful for diabetes, anemia, kidney stone disease, high blood pressure. Eating it improves the liver, the cardiovascular system, promotes the growth of children, stimulates the activity of the lymphatic system and increases the body's resistance against colds. Chard is also recommended to use against radiation sickness. Chubby porridge is a good remedy against baldness. Chard is used in cooking around the world to cook a variety of dishes. This tasty and healing plant is very useful for obesity, diabetes, kidney stone disease, anemia.
In the kitchen, young leaves and cuttings are used until they are juicy and not rough. Chard is used successfully to decorate dishes. For this purpose, its delicate leaves can replace the traditionally used lettuce. Put chard leaves on the plate, and on top of them you can put any cold appetizer. Chard is widely used in the preparation of various vitamin dishes in dietary foods. It is good for cooking cabbage soup, borsch and, of course, a variety of salads. Stewed chard is an original appetizer for noodles or a side dish for meat.
As chard contains vitamin K in larger amounts than the body needs, it is important to observe the extent of its consumption. After all, even healthy vitamins can be harmful if the correct dose is not observed. Then, an excess of vitamin K can lead to blood viscosity, an increase in platelets. Therefore, it is extremely undesirable to eat foods rich in vitamin K, patients with thrombophlebitis, varicose veins, some types of migraines and patients with high cholesterol. Since oxalic acid is contained in the chard, it is recommended that, like spinach, it be boiled for a short time before using it, and water should be drained to get rid of it.
The problem is that oxalic acid has the property of crystallizing and, therefore, products containing this acid are not allowed for those who have problems with the gallbladder and kidneys. Due to the harmful volatile substances contained in the chard, drinking large amounts of freshly squeezed juice can cause vomiting, nausea, decreased heart rate and increased drowsiness. Therefore, it is recommended to drink only after a couple of hours after pressing.
