This past summer, a volunteer chard plant came up out in our vegetable garden. Walt noticed it first and started watering it. It grew huge leaves with thick white ribs.
Then, while I was in North Carolina, Walt moved a four-year-old burn pile — branches, limbs, twigs — over to the garden plot. And yesterday he burned it. Earlier, I had gone out and dug up the Swiss chard plant, which was close to the burn pile, so that it wouldn't be charred by the heat of the fire.
The weather was foggy, verging on misty. Officially, people here are encouraged not to burn yard trimmings and clippings. Everybody does it, however. I see plumes of smoke all around the area at this time of year. Compared to the pollution produced by hundred and thousands of fireplace fires over the winter, a feu de jardin like this once every few years can't possibly have much or any effect on our air quality.
Here's the not-charred chard after Walt cooked it yesterday afternoon. It will be good as a side dish or in a quiche or omelette.
It looks like collard greens. Did you add some lardons?
ReplyDeleteNo, no lardons. Just white wine, salt, and pepper. The chard can be seasoned further before we cook and eat it.
DeleteI refused to eat anything like this when I was a child in NC but these days I absolutely love spinach sautéed in garlic and oil.
ReplyDeleteI would like the collard greens to, I bet .
Spinach is good cooked that way, and chard is too. I usually cook greens with broth, wine, and/or water, or sometimes with tomato sauce. Collards need a longer cooking time than chard or spinach. The last spinach I bought and cooked was so tender and sweet. I need to buy some more.
DeleteMy dad made a little fire like that over his lettuce patch. Just a splash of wine? I want to try some chard cooked that way soon.
ReplyDeleteWalt cooked the chard and I don't know how much wine he put in it, or if he added some water too. I'll have to ask him.
DeleteOh my goodness, that photo with the fire is great, Ken. The colors, the composition -- I love it.
ReplyDeleteJudy
The fire burned hot and smokeless for about 15 minutes. Nearly all the branches were completely burned. We'd had that burn pile for 4 years and kept adding to it. Now it's all gone.
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