To think my neighbour should have been more grateful for my chard

[FunnysInLaJardin]

So neighbours have chickens and bring us eggs, which is fab as we no longer keep chickens.

I offered her some chard in exchange which she happily accepted.

She dropped some more eggs over this week and I asked her if she had enjoyed the chard. She said it was too big but ate it rather than throwing it away. Fwiw it was about the size of normal spinach.

I mean seriously! I’ll have it back if it’s not up to standard.

Dropped some courgettes over today, one was slightly large, will await the comments

The chickens would enjoy the chard, or any over-large/unsatisfactory courgettes. I was susprised when you said your neighbour said that she - rather than they - ate it, anyway!

😀😀I love these threads as a relief from all the talk of global warming.

Off tangent - but if you let the courgette grown enormous and then slice them up - the chickens adore eating the middle seedy bit.

She doesn't like it, she ate it, would probably prefer that wasn't what was bartered next time. You're being a tad over sensitive.

I have neighbours on both sides trying to offload their "produce" on to me. At first I politely accepted and chucked it in the garden waste bin, but I got so fed up with the volume of stuff that now I am a lot more direct. If they come round with something unappealing I just say "Oh no thank you, I won't eat/use that". I can tell they are a bit crestfallen but I really don't want their god-awful marrows, crab apples and beetroots.

Maybe it's just me but Chard seems flavourless. And courgettes - a few times a year dipped in Gram flour and fried are nice - but the struggle to use up unpopular veg isn't worth the effort imv so I now refuse them.
Give her home grown potatoes and tomatoes - yum yum.

This thread has made me realise that no one has off loaded their cucumbers onto me this year. Now I'm sad. I love home grown cucumbers, they actually taste of something.

My neighbour didn't even thank me for letting her look at my spring onions.

So many ungrateful folk about.

Always strip the leaves off the stalks if too big. Nothing wrong with the leaves at any size, although you might need to cook them with more care. If you don't want to waste the bigger stalks you can kind of strip the fibres a bit by running a veg peeler up them, then chop across at 3 cm intervals. Saute with garlic, butter pepper and nutmeg.

Chard keeps it's colour better than spinach in a spanakopita or cheesy borek and is a good stand in for mountain greens.

Likewise marrow, carefully eviscerated of all it's seedy gubbins, cut into rounds and stuffed with a mixture of fried pork mince, chopped black olives, onion oregano, olive oil rice etc, crumbly salty feta.. Delish.

I even have a nostalgia for my mums white saucy marrow slices of summer Sunday lunches. But then, I miss my mum.

Only if OP wants the egg supply to cease.

YABVU.

I've read 'baby chard' on this thread so many times that I now have a revised version of the baby shark earworm.

Baby Chard, doo-doo, doo-doo
Baby Chard, doo-doo, doo-doo
Baby Chard, doo-doo, doo-doo
Baby Chard ...

Thanks, everyone. That is about as welcome as an oversized courgette.

Chard tastes of stringy water. It’s the reason I gave up on veg boxes. I assume people who don’t like the flavour of vegetables eat it to feel virtuous. I love veg, in general, but chard is a waste of garden space.

So jealous, our chard was an abject failure this year.

Those of you saying you don't like it may I recommend drying the stalks in butter and garlic with the tiniest pinch of chilli or paprika then adding the leaves at the last minute? So tasty, although obviously a smidge less healthy than steamed.

I hope you are joking OP..

Don’t be sensitive about the quality of your leafy veg, life is simply too short.

Is chard something peasants eat in their hovels?

You want gratitude??

Likewise marrow, carefully eviscerated of all it's seedy gubbins, cut into rounds and stuffed with a mixture of fried pork mince, chopped black olives, onion oregano, olive oil rice etc, crumbly salty feta.. Delish.

@Wilkolampshade

if you have to do this much to a vegetable I am sorry to say it is not delish, it is just nostalgia. I think marrows as human food are best left to WW2 reenactment groups. It’s nice if it reminds you of your mum though.

Hope your neighbour isn't on Mumsnet. The niche exchange of goods I had never heard of chard until now makes it rather identifiable

Meanwhile…over in the real world, where people have real problems..

OMG.

The OP seems determined to get her pound of flesh in response to a throw-away comment.

I'm on Team Neighbour.

British people are never honest. They also say "Oh lovely thank you" even when they hate something. My foreign in laws get very frustrated with this as they never know whether I genuinely like something! Your neighbours were actually being honest which is unusual in this country.

What a silly thread!

A British person writes: I love your post as it's so helpful and constructive.

Chard is beetroot's poor cousin.

It speeads quickly too and the larger leaves arent the nicest tasting.