Hi everyone, my swiss chard has valiantly survived the cold winter & is still looking healthy. It was grown from seed last year. I was wondering if it will still be ok to eat this year or is it the type of plant that gets bitter with age? Im a complete novice with chard. Thanks
I'll be watching this thread with interest as I have sown chard seed for the first time this year. Aint got a clue what to do with it though.
No, it won't get bitter, but it will flower and not produce any more leaves. It will go on for a bit longer but then you have a gap before spring sown chard is ready to harvest. You can harvest and freeze now. Chard freezes fine, I freeze the stalks and leaves separately. The leaves just get chopped and put in a freezer bag. The stalks cut and blanched for one minute in boiling water, then taken out and put into very cold water to cool them down fast, then frozen.
Thanks so much Galina I will pick it today & freeze it ;D
I hadn't thought about freezing it so thanks for the tip!
My sowing from last year has started bolting now. I cut back the flower stem and eat the leaves off that. It keeps producing for a while, although it will throw up more flower stalks. It's fine to eat once it's bolting though. But it won't last forever.
I've also started some more seed for this year.