Strawberry Spinach:
The Most Confused and Amazing Vegetable in the World

By Uncle Paul

Today I would like to take you on an incredible journey. We will sail the ocean to the ancient land of Mesopotamia. Here we will travel across one of the hottest deserts to find one of the ancient wonders of the world.

Herodotus, a Greek historian, wrote the following in 450 BC: “Its splendor is not surpassed by any city in the known world. Its outer walls were 56 miles in length, 80’ thick, and 320’ high.”

Inside the walls were huge statues made of solid gold, as well as the Tower of Babel said to be dedicated to the god Marduk.

But it wasn’t this amazing city that was later named one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. It was a special gift given in love, by a king to his homesick bride who came from a far-off land where plants were plentiful and desert was scarce. The special gift was a garden said to be the most beautiful in the world; the king was Nebuchadnezzar II, and his beautiful bride was Amytis. Amytis came from a green, rugged, and mountainous country, and she found the sun-baked desert depressing. So the king recreated an artificial mountain with rooftop gardens. Diodorus, another Greek historian, tells us the gardens were about 400’ wide and 400’ long and over 80’ high: an amazing sight to see in the desert. These gardens became known as the hanging gardens of Babylon, and it is here that the first records of incredible strawberry spinach were said to be found.

Strawberry spinach is known by many names: Goosefoot, white beet, spinach beet, seakale beet, leaf beet, Sicilian beet, Chilean beet, Roman kale, and silver beet. The name we know it best by is Swiss chard, although this vegetable is not native to Switzerland.

Chard comes in all colors and is related to beets and spinach. Its leaves look like goosefeet, and this is where it got one of its names. It is prized for its crunchy stalks and large leaves. All the colors taste about the same, but rainbow chard comes in many colors that are beautiful for the eye to behold.

In Europe cooks prefer chard to spinach, and in America it is the opposite. Chard has a little meatier texture and an earthier flavor than spinach. Its leaves can be cooked in any way you can cook spinach. You should cook the stems and treat them the same way you would asparagus. You can incorporate chard into soups, salads, pasta sauces, stir fries, and stuffing, and it is available year-round. Its flavor is a little bitter, a little pungent, and a little salty.

The best part about chard is how healthy it is for you.

Chard is a cruciferous vegetable, meaning that it is high in anti-oxidants and thus proclaimed to possess cancer-fighting properties. Anti-carcinogenic or not, it is high in vitamins A and C, iron, potassium, and fiber.

The leaves and the roots of Swiss chard have been the subject of intriguing health studies. Several research studies on chard focus specifically on colon cancer; the combination of traditional nutrients, phytonutrients (particularly anthocyans), plus fiber in this food seems particularly effective in preventing digestive tract cancers.

Swiss chard has large concentrations of vitamin K, which is important for maintaining bone health. Swiss chard is an excellent source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is the primary water-soluble antioxidant in the body, disarming free radicals and preventing damage in the aqueous environment both inside and outside cells. Swiss chard is high in magnesium, manganese, and potassium, which is an important electrolyte that helps nerve transmission and the contraction of all muscles including the heart. Potassium is essential for helping maintain normal blood pressure and heart function. A cup of Swiss chard supplies 22% of the daily value for iron. Swiss chard is also a wonderful source of vitamin E, the body’s primary fat-soluble antioxidant. Vitamin E travels throughout the body neutralizing free radicals that would otherwise damage fat-containing structures and molecules, such as cell membranes, brain cells, and cholesterol. Swiss chard also emerges as a good source of copper, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, protein, phosphorous, vitamin B1, zinc, foliate, biotin, niacin, and pantothenic acid.

So next time you want to impress the one you love, build an incredible hanging garden in your backyard and fill it with the most amazing, incredible, and versatile vegetable: the beautiful rainbow Swiss chard.

Uncle Paul, along with his wife Calla, owns Uncle Paul’s European Style Open Air Produce Market, 2310 SE Hawthorne, 503-484-8612 or visit www.unclepaulsproduce.com