Wilson wrote:
sometime in the recent past Billy posted this:
In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article ,
The Cook wrote:

On Wed, 21 May 2008 10:25:47 -0700, Billy
wrote:

In article ,
The Cook wrote:

On Wed, 21 May 2008 08:13:02 -0700, Billy
wrote:

In article ,
The Cook wrote:

That is 1/2
of the chard in a 21 quart canner
This is how much chard, and you're doing what with it?
\
Since 1/2 of the chard we picked this morning fit in a 21 quart
canner, the total amount of chard was 42 quarts. By the time is
blanched I have about 24 cups going into the freezer. There is about
8 or so cups that will be sauteed with onion and garlic tonight.
If you don't mind. It sounds like you're pasteurizing and canning,
and then putting the chard in the freezer. Couldn't you just
blanche it (3 - 6 min) and put it into freezer bags?
The chard was in the boiling water bath canner while I was processing
the rest of it since that is the largest container I have and it
wouldn't all fit in the sink. It was not being cooked in it.

I blanched it in small quantities for 2 minutes, chilled it and bagged
it in FoodSaver bags. It is now in the freezer and I will seal the
bags when it is frozen (or when one of us remembers it is there.) Now
time to do the 20 quarts of collards. Can't decide whether I want to
preserve the beet greens or not.
Thanks
Not to be thought a slacker, yesterday I harvested a chard (3/4 was
used as an accompaniment to our dinner, the other 1/4 used in salad). Two
lettuces replaced the chard in the garden. This morning I picked two
strawberries and shared with my significant other. Five anise came out
of the germinator. Yesterday I finished planting 26 Dent corn and 6
Mammoth sunflowers. Temps are cooling here and I covered the peanuts
with a clear plastic hood so they would stay warm.

I am still in awe of how early the tomatoes have started to bloom.
Do you use raw chard in your salad and is it just the leaf or stalk too?
Never considered eating it raw. Funny the ruts one can get into.

Chard is the only green we grow down here in SW Louisiana as it is the
only one I actually enjoy eating. We use just the leaf in salads but
when we cook it we use stalk and all. Sometimes we just graze on it as
we go through the garden.