Chard, beetroots

Family - mazy. Motherland - Asia. Leaves and petioles of chard are rich in vitamins, proteins and mineral salts, especially calcium, phosphorus and iron.

Due to the varied shape and bright color of the leaves, chard is often used as an ornamental plant. According to biological characteristics and requirements for environmental conditions, it is close to ordinary beet. In the first year of life, chard is forming a rosette with large leaves, often wavy, bubbly or curly. Coloring them depending on the variety - green, yellowish-green, often the leaves have a pronounced red color. Leaflets are wide from 5 to 7 cm.

In the second year of life, a flower stem grows on chard, on which small greenish flowers and seeds develop.

There are two forms of chard - leaf and petiolate. The difference between the cholerae and the leaf chard is greatly increased both in length and in the width of the leaf petioles. The most common varieties of chard in Russia are domestic varieties: Scarlet, Belovinka, Krasnoshershkovy, Spinatny. The best foreign varieties are: Lucullus, Brazilian, Curly and others.

Mangold refers to high-yield crops. In the room conditions from one plant, you can get more than 1 kg of tender petioles and leaves, which do not differ much from spinach. Chard can come on the table throughout the year. It is a storehouse of vitamins and mineral salts.

♦ Accommodation. In bright, sunny rooms with a temperature of +17 - + 20 ° C.It is best to keep on the south-east or south-west windows. In the absence of frosts can be placed on glassed verandas and loggias.

♦ Care. Growing chard is easy. To obtain a high yield, a fertile substrate is needed. The best is a soil mixture consisting of humus, turf, coarse sand( 1: 1: 0.5).The seeding depth is 2 - 3 cm, with the emergence of shoots, they are thinned, leaving in the rows of the plant in 5-6 cm. The distance between the rows is 15-20 cm. Regularly watering, abundant, standing water, in winter - water at room temperature. During the growing season, chard is fed every 15-20 days with liquid fertilizer "Rainbow".

50-60 days after the emergence of shoots, and in petioles - after 60 days begin to harvest.

Mangold can also be used for winter distillation.

♦ Pests and diseases. The black leg, which mostly affects young shoots, causes a tangible harm to the chard, they quickly die. From pests - earthen fleas and beetroot fly.

♦ Reproduction - by seeds.

Application of

Chardonnens of chard are cut from a leaf plate, boiled in water, and then fried in oil and eaten with sour cream.

Cold borscht

500 grams of young chard in a glass of water boil in a glass of water, pour into a sieve( keep the broth), finely chopped, add 2 finely chopped fresh cucumbers, 2 finely chopped, hard boiled eggs, 75 g of green onions, 2 tablespoons of sour cream, pour1 liter of bread kvass and chilled broth. All mix and sprinkle with parsley and dill.

The leaves and stems of chard contain 10-11% of dry matter, 2.7-4.6% of sugars, 2-2.7% of proteins, 30-48 mg per 100 g of ascorbic acid, many carotene, rutin, thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid.