Sister Lynne offers the following tips in preparation for the upcoming winter:
This year, due to the warm fall, we had several extra cuttings from our Swiss chard crop. Since we have two long rows of chard, we get more than we can eat at one time, so we freeze the extra for use later in the year. To freeze it, we wash it and tear the leaves off the ribs. Some people save the ribs to use in soups. Then we drop it into boiling water just until it wilts, maybe a minute or two. Next we stop the cooking process by putting the chard into ice water. Once the chard has cooled, we squeeze out the water, chop it (for ease of use later) and place it in freezer bags. Swiss chard, like other greens, cooks down quite a bit. Three or four large pots of chard cooked down will fit in one freezer bag. It can be used in soups or spanakopita or as a vegetable by itself through the winter.