There’s still lots of swiss chard in my garden. It can withstand cold nights and even a light frost.
Swiss Chard, and other leafy greens, have high levels of oxalates which can cause problems by forming stones in our body, especially in our kidneys. Since oxalates are water soluble, the blanching of leafy greens like swiss chard, spinach and beet greens is recommended before eating.
I’ve tried to research whether dehydrating removes oxalates and have not found any evidence that it does. I would suspect that since only H2O is evaporated from the vegetable, the oxalates would be even more concentrated in the dried greens. Can a healthy person consume small amounts of high oxalic foods without problems? Probably.
When I dehydrate swiss chard, I choose to first blanch the leaves. I remove the center rib of the chard and cut the leaves into approximately 4″ pieces. I blanch in boiling water for a minute or so. I then drain the chard and discard the water. I lay the leaves in a single layer on a parchment covered cookie sheet and place in my oven which has been heated to 150 degrees.
I check the progress every hour until the leaves are dry and crumble easily. When they are completely cool, I store them in an airtight container for use in soups and stews throughout the winter.
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Deborah Hamby says
AMAZING PHOTO! Will this be included in your show? I just love it!
susanv says
Thank you, Deb. I should have sat down with you or Jen to help me choose, but no, it’s not.
Kara says
Wow. If you have lots of it, that would take quite awhile…I admire your patience!
susanv says
I can fit two trays at a time in my oven and yes, it is a bit time consuming, although my “active” time is not that much. Mike is making a rack to fit inside my oven which is made of stainless steel mesh that he was given.
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Lisa @ Two Bears Farm says
I never would’ve thought to dehydrate it!
Caro says
Great post ~ very informative ~ (A Creative Harbor) ^_^
sanghamitra says
This is fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing.
Hope to see you on my blog:)
Jen says
Great idea. I never thought to dehydrate chard in the first place. I’m totally going to do this with my leftovers in the garden!
Nancy says
I think chard is such a pretty plant. I’ve never even thought about dehydrating it. Smart!
Thanks so much for sharing at Rural Thursdays, Susan.
kristy @ gastronomical sovereignty says
i usually cut the ribs out of my chard too – do you know if this is necessary?
dehydrating is a good idea 🙂 i usually just chop mine up and stick it in mac and cheese. i like this method a lot. well done!
thank you for sharing your post with us at the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up! I hope to see you again this week with more incredible seasonal and whole/real fresh food ideas 🙂 xo, kristy
susanv says
The ribs end up as tough strings when dried so I would definitely remove them. I appreciate you hosting the Link Up!