Pretty in Pink

As the nights get longer and the leaves on the trees start falling there isn't much colour left on the plot. A few hardy calendula are still hanging in there and the nasturtiums will stick around until the first frost but for colour at this time of year the humble chard is hard to beat. This variety is called Bright Lights and the colour on the leaves has to be seen to be believed - the photo can't even do it justice. They come in vibrant reds, yellows, oranges and pinks and they're fairly hardy as well so, in our increasingly warm winters, they'll probably hold their own right until spring.

Chard is a veg that you don't often see in supermarkets because it doesn't last so long once it's picked. That's their loss though because chard has a brilliantly earthy taste and you'd be hard pushed to get a healthier leaf. The leaves are pretty much the same as spinach in with regard to cooking but the colourful stems need a little more time so best to separate the two and cook them on their own. Tasty stuff and looks good enough to grow in your flowerbeds as well.

Comments

[Liz]

It's always hard to anticipate frosts. I've still got some nasturtiums on the plot and I know I'll regret it when there's a hard frost and they turn into a splodgey mess!

[vegmonkey]

Looks fantastic! I'm struggling to find things to blog about as i ripped everything that was about to be killed by the frost out last weekend in the only free time i had...then it didn't frost!

[Soup Gal]

What a fab colour! Bright lights is an amazing chard, always so colourful. I hope you enjoy your dinner!