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November 2007 Newsletter
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To read the full newsletter online, please see: www.kitchengardeners.org/newsletternovember07.html
Dear Kitchen Gardener,
Here’s a question for you: when a gardener in Geneva or Zurich grows chard is it called "Swiss Swiss chard", “Our chard”, “Swiss© chard ”, or something completely different?
I’ve always wondered about the origins of the name “Swiss chard”. Aside from Brussels sprouts, it’s rare that one region gets top billing for a whole species. What’s interesting is that North Americans seem to be the only ones calling chard Swiss these days. Like a James Bond of the vegetable world, this plant travels under many different identities in other parts of the world including silverbeet (UK and Australia), bietola (Italian), blettes (French) and acelga (Spanish).
As it turns out, Swiss chard is about as native to Switzerland as James Bond too. Botanists have traced its origins back by to Sicily. So, why don’t we call it Italian or Sicilian Chard?
There are multiple explanations depending on who you ask and how deep you are prepared to dig. I recently read a column by a chef who claimed that chard is referred to as Swiss “because of its extensive cultivation in Switzerland”. Hmmm. I’ve been to Switzerland before, a few times in fact, and cannot recall seeing it at all. Verdant valleys with dairy cows, yes. Snow-capped mountains, yes. Endless fields o’ chard, um, no.
Another interesting, though implausible, theory is that chard earned its moniker after a “great flee beetle epidemic” which made it resemble Swiss cheese. If that’s the case, I grow many varieties of Swiss spinach, Swiss radishes and Swiss arugula in my own garden each year. Swiss cabbage is one of my specialties.
The explanation that gets the most attention on the internet attributes the Swissness of chard to a Swiss botanist named Koch who is said to have named the plant first. But try finding information on this famed botanist and you’re almost back where you started. Some sources have Koch living in the 19th century whereas others say the 16th. And you thought Austin Powers was a man of mystery!
So, several inquiries and sentences later, the confusion surrounding chard’s name continues and maybe that’s not a bad thing. It’s often when we think we really know something, or someone for that matter, that we start losing interest.
If you’re lucky to have some chard still growing in your garden (mine got wiped out this past week by two consequentive nights of 20°F temperatures ), give it a fresh look and try preparing it in a new way. Similarly, if you’ve got an alternative theory on its name or some better information on our Mystery Man Koch, send it my way. Inquiring minds want to know.
Happy harvests and harvest feasts,
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Italian town slims down by fattening residents' wallets
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Overweight residents of an Italian town will be paid to lose weight, the mayor said on Monday.
Men living in the northwestern Italian town of Varallo will receive 50 euros ($70) for losing 4 kg (9 pounds) in a month, Mayor Gianluca Buonanno said. Women will get the same amount for shedding 3 kg (7 pounds).
If they can keep the weight off for 5 months, they will get another 200 euros ($280), he told Reuters.
"Lots of people are saying, 'I really need to lose some weight but it's really tough.' So I thought, why don't we go on a group diet?" said Buonanno, who said he was about 6 kg (13 pounds) overweight.
The town of 7,500 people started the campaign on Friday and some residents have already signed up, he said.
Around 35 percent of Italians are overweight or obese, according to European Union figures, with waistlines expanding as the country's healthy Mediterranean diet has given way to processed foods rich in fat, sugar and salt.
Source: Reuters
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It's tomato time!
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Tons of tomatoes, and over 70 different varieties are represented at the Portland (Oregon) Farmers' Market annual tomato fest. These farm fresh tomatoes have character, beauty, and yes, even charm. Oh, and did we mention taste?
For more on tomatoes, see the links below:
8 easy international recipes using fresh tomatoes
Saving tomato seeds
Building tomato cages
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Food fight (of the political sort)
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Godzilla vs. Rhodan. Ali vs. Foreman. Luke vs. Darth Vader. Rosie vs. Donald. Among the great battle stories in history, this one is sure to be one little children will be telling their children and grandchildren in years to come. In one corner, we have a delicious, locally-grown apple. In the other, a larger-than-life-size twinkie. At stake is nothing less than the future of the food we eat.
Check out this fun and informative video on the US Farm Bill which is currently up for public debate. When you're done, head right over to healthyfarmbill.org and give your senators and rep. a piece of your mind. It only takes 3 minutes and you'll feel just like a summer peach afterward, i.e. warm and fuzzy.
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