Swiss Chard and Chow Chow

Pictured here is the Rhubarb Swiss Chard from Seeds of Change that I picked yesterday from our garden. Yeah, the garden is still producing swiss chard, though I have completely ignored it for over a month now. I cut the outer leaves first from the plants so the inner leaves can grow larger. The chard is blanched for 10 minutes and packed into quart size Ziplock bags. You may serve chard leaves in salads but you need to have a palate that prefers a taste beyond iceberg lettuce! I prefer to eat the cooked chard plain but serving it with vinegar, bacon drippings or grated parmesan is also good.

The other two photos are of Sweet/Hot Chow Chow from a wonderful little shop in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. Called The Jam Lady because of its scrumptous thimbleberry jams (and other varieties), the shop is a white clapboard house that sits alongside M-26 in Eagle River. They have a great web site at http://www.thimbleberryjamlady.com/ where their full product line is available including ice cream toppings, jams and jellies, chow chow, chow chow relish, and syrups. I love this stuff so much I don't bother to make my own. I doubt I could match their quality and my family knows if they're ever stumped for a gift, give me chow chow! The ingredients listed on my quart of chow chow are as follows: cauliflour, cucumber, onion, green and red peppers, vinegar, wheat flour, dry mustard,sugar, salt, tumeric, pickling spices (cinnamon chips, yellow mustard, dill seed, brown mustard,allspice, cloves, coriander seed, mace, black peppercorns, bay leaf, cardamon, chole chilies, and giner root). Be sure to visit their entire site including the picture of Grandpa John. I prefer the quart jars so there's some left over after I have my share!!

Hell, that's all for now folks. I'm going for a walk and then may finish the binding on a quilt I made last year. Have a great day, Treesong