A cousin of Bull's Blood and of all the beets, simply selected for its stems and leaves rather than for its root. As a microgreen, the signature of red Swiss chard concentrates in the brilliant colour of the stems: a bright luminous magenta red that exactly recalls the hue of the petioles of the mature version (already described in our pages), topped with lance-shaped cotyledons of tender green. This extraordinary pigmentation comes from betalains, the red-violet pigments characteristic of the entire Amaranthaceae family.
Mild flavour, lightly earthy, halfway between the young leaf of mature Swiss chard and that of beet. Tender, juicy, fleshy texture (the cotyledons are surprisingly substantial for such a young shoot).
Use: a very beautiful presentation microgreen — as garnish on risotto, on cream soups (a mother-child visual effect with a beet velouté), on fresh goat cheese dishes, as a colourful touch in a composed salad, or simply as a decorative wisp beside a tartare.
- Soak: optional 4 to 6 hours (speeds up germination).
- Germination time: 7 to 10 days.
- Microgreen harvest: 14 to 21 days after sowing.
- Yield: roughly 2 teaspoons of seeds (glomerules) produces a 20 × 20 cm tray of microgreens.
- Best use: colourful garnishes, goat cheese dishes, chef presentations.
