“Eat your greens!”
When I was a kid, I believed my mother was obsessed with greens. They were frequently on our table (cooked longer than I would now) and served with butter and vinegar. Spinach and Swiss chard were Mom’s favorites, both to grow and eat. Fresh in the summer and fall, canned spinach in the winter, and it seems like they were always on the plate, assuring us we’d be strong like Popeye.
A little competition
I love them all more now than I did then, especially the Swiss chard, a cold-hardy green easily grown in the north with few pests. That is, unless you don’t count the four-legged varieties. When I had my (extremely) large kitchen garden when my kids were young, chard was one of our favorite crops, and a favorite of the deer as well. Many’s the time, I set out to harvest a nice big bunch for the freezer, only to find the patch had been grazed to the ground overnight. Their timing never ceased to amaze me.
Sometimes a fence does work
A fence? Yes, we put a four-feet fence up, but deer can leap seven or eight feet, so my produce was not safe. However, after we constructed raised beds, that with the fence seemed to slow them down considerably. I think they didn’t like leaping into what they saw as a cluttered area. The chard I tucked in a cold frame along with parsley was also safe from these marauders.
Downsized
I have a much smaller kitchen garden now, focusing on herbs and tomato and pepper plants, but I know the deer are watching what is growing there, plotting their next move, and I certainly would not be surprised to see it all feasted on during the growing season. My barking dogs seem to keep them at bay, but I’m never really sure. We had a small herd clustered by our fence this week, and I think they were casing the yard for future raids.
Greens all winter
At this time of year, our local greenhouses supply us with an abundance of greens, spinach, pea shoots, chard, kale, so we get those all winter, without worrying about pests. I get to use what I want now, and not what I need to use up!
A beautiful vegetable
The ruby chard was beautiful this week, and I couldn’t wait to highlight it at dinner. But, if you can’t find it, a bunch of rainbow or even just green is also fine here. If you can’t find chard, you can easily substitute another sturdy green such as spinach. It’s all good, and it’s all good for you.
Leeks of many sizes
I had some very small local leeks, so it took four of them for this dish, but one big fat one would also do the trick. You could also use a large sweet onion, or even shallots if that’s what you have.
Keep a jar in the refrigerator
We love having the marinated feta on hand, both Greek and vegan versions. Great slathered on a slice of toasted baguette, or topping any number of vegetables. You can mix this up any way you like with what herbs you love, but the garlic and bay are pretty much needed here.
A simple, quick, and delicious side dish that delights the eyes as well as the taste buds. No reason not to eat your greens!
Ruby Swiss Chard with Leeks and Marinated Feta
- 2 cups sliced leeks
- 1 bunch of ruby (or other) Swiss chard
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- A handful of cherry tomatoes
- Aged sherry vinegar, or other favorite
- Marinated Greek feta or vegan feta, below
Slice and clean the leeks well, they often harbor lots of gritty dirt. Remove the stems and ribs from the chard and chop them into bite-size pieces. If the leaves are really large, rip them in half.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and warm the oil. Add the leeks and stems and saute until tender. Toss in the garlic for a minute or so, then deglaze with the wine, immediately tossing on the chard leaves and tomatoes. Cover. Reduce the heat and cook for a couple of minutes, just until the leaves wilt and are tender.
Plate and top with the marinated feta, and of course a sprinkle of your most flavorful vinegar – perhaps balsamic, aged sherry, or just red wine vinegar.
Marinated Feta Cheese
- 1 head garlic, cloves separated
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 2 or 3 bay leaves
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- ½ tsp. dried thyme
- ½ tsp. dried savory
- 1 block Greek feta or vegan feta
Separate the cloves of garlic and place in a small saucepan with the olive oil and the bay leaves. Let simmer over medium low until the garlic starts to brown and soften. Remove from heat and add the rest of the herbs and a bit of salt and pepper. Let sit at least an hour, then add the cheese. This is best made a few hours ahead of time or left to marinate overnight.
Change up the spices as you like. Add a fresh chili pepper, some star anise, any little things that might enhance what you are making.
Store in the refrigerator, and take out a half hour before serving so the olive oil can come to room temperature. This is also delicious using goat cheese.
This week’s camouflaged visitors at our backyard. Seven white-tailed beauties, including one that stayed right by the fence. Nothing of interest in my yard for them to graze with plenty of browse in the woods.
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I love your animal visitors! Great dish – great way to use up veggies. I love those big chunks of non-vegan feta!
Thank you! I adore most cheeses, and feta is among my favorites!
I love this Dorothy…I almost get panicky when I start running out of “greens”…even braved the frozen streets yesterday to stock up! Feta is one of our favorites as well. Thank you for this great post. Stay cozy.
Keep your too Teresa! The temperatures are dropping here, and by the weekend it should be around zero at night, so we’re all stocked up with wood and lots of greens of course!
I would so enjoy watching the deer across the fence. They are beautiful! Your marinated feta gives me ideas to marinate other cheese, thanks for the idea. And your sauteed leeks and chard look like the ultimate side dish!
Thanks Jan!
We see them most every day just before dusk when they like to snack before settling in for the night. There is plenty of browse around for them in our woods, so they so far have left our yard alone. Such magnificent creatures!
What a lovely post. I so enjoyed reading it! And the recipe sounds wonderful too. I have a neighbor who brings over rainbow chard every summer and I’ve never quite sure what to do with it. This sounds perfect.
Oh, thank you Ann! It’s such a delicious green. In the summer, I love it boiled up with new potatoes, onions, and green beans!
I am looking forward to trying this recipe. I love Swiss Chard, Feta and your dressing. I also enjoyed reading your post and seeing the deer. We have the same problem with deer. They never bothered our gardens in the past, but with all the development underway, they have started come around more.
They are all just trying to survive, and when we take away their habitat, of course they are going to look to our yards.
I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do Carole!
Chard/spinach and Feta cheese is a classic combination for a reason. So tasty, and healthy. The addition of leeks only makes it better and tastier. 🙂
We have all these very small leeks all of a sudden at our farm stand, and I’m using them in everything. So sweet!
This is a beauty to look at, and even better to eat! I love Swiss chard and one year I even grew a pot of it. I am having roasted butternut with feta tonight.
I love roasted butternut squash, one of my favorite winter veggies! Add the feta and I’ll be there in a snap!
I haven’t used bay leaves in dishes for so long, but I am inspire to use some again as this recipe sounds very yummy! ☺️
The bay adds a lovely background fragrance to the oil and works well with the cheese. If you can find the fresh ones, even better.
Looks delicious. I’m a fan of chard also, and think it looks spectacular on the plate.
Thank you Kevin! It’s so good!
Some of my favorite ingredients are in this dish.
Thanks Jovina, mine too, especially the chard!
Beautiful photos of the deer. I might have kangaroos occasionally but deers or roos, these herbivorous creatures are a delight to have in the garden.
I heard the eat your greens mantra. Coming out of the war, it is little surprise that our parents held firm with this ideology. And your dishes are simple and sound delicious. I hadn’t thought to marinate the goats or feta cheese so I will try that. How long do you think it would keep for?
I don’t know how long it keeps Amanda because it gets devoured, but I would think a couple of weeks if you pop it in the fridge after using. I let it come to room temperature before serving because the olive oil thickens when cold. I usually add a few olives too!
My mother always was passionate about greens, and also having both a green and yellow veg at dinner.
Green and yellow must have been the old ways. Peas and mashed potato mix with mashed pumpkin was the standard fare in my house.
We had squash of all kinds, but pumpkin only went in a pie when I was a kid!
The opinion and uses of pumpkin seem to vary from place to place. We had an Irish neighbour who’d immigrated to Australia in the eighties. She refused to eat or cook pumpkin at all and was a chef herself. She said it was pig food back where she had come from. Only fit to feed to the pigs! That surprised me.
Wow! I never would have guessed that! I think of Irish cuisine as being vegetable forward, and pumpkin is easy to grow.
I could not quite get my head around her thoughts too. Although it did seem to be just regarding pumpkin. Other vegetables were fine.
This actually looks delicious and I’m not a big fan of Ruby Swiss Chard but willing to try. I love your stories, the deer, and the beautiful pictures of the dish. I’m thinking bacon might be a really fine addition? Thanks Dorothy. And damn, you have a lot of deer! Hugs, C
Yes, this year they have gotten nice and plump!
Writing from hot, muggy and very wet Australia – what an absolutely evocative post to read! An inviting recipe , especially the marinated feta which will be trialled here soonest!
I think you will like this!
Feta just seems to alleviate a dish and this one is full of great flavors!
Thank you!
The feta dies add a great tang and special flavor!
Those deer better watch out or they may end up on your dinner plate! Lol
I don’t eat Bambi since I was a child and saw my father’s hunt hanging from the pine tree! Never got over that one!
When I was little I did not like them so much either but now I appreciate them and are so delicious 😋 I love the idea of marinating the feta too! Those deer are so cute! Waiting to enjoy some goodies 😋😆
Thank you!
The deer have had a mild winter so far this year and are nice and plump, but they’ve already shed their antlers, so they must know cold weather is upon us.
Love Swiss Chard! The dish looks delicious.
Thank you so much! It’s definitely a keeper.
Marinated vegan feta and visits from wildland creatures? Great week for you and now if only I could find some chard…
You will find it when you stop looking!
Thank you my friend!
Mary would approve of the Snow Globe fun! I love her words… “Tis the season for freezin’!”
We love Swiss chard, and I hope to find some soon! And marinated feta… yes, please!
Good luck in your search!
Such a beautiful dish and I am sure it taste as good as it looks. Dom put up ultrasonic deer sensors and the sensors seem to have made a difference.
What a great idea! I might consider that for my front area!
I know I should be asking or commenting about the recipe, but I’d really like to know more about your attractive fence. 🙂 I fight deer and other critters all the time because we back up to a wetlands area. Can you tell me about it?
The fence is 48” tall extruded aluminum, very sturdy and attractive, reasonably priced and durable. We have two locking gates. So far, the deer, bears, and coyotes have respected the boundary, and I’m knocking wood as I write. There’s a lot going on inside the fence, and I know that does deter jumping somewhat.
No deer here just sun and more sun plus birds and squirrels but the chard grows well …lovely recipe , Dorothy I do love my feta cheese 🙂 x
Ah, then I think you and the birds would love this one!
Such a pretty dish, too. I especially like the feta recipe, and appreciate the vegan version.
I’m sure you must have tried the vegan feta. It’s really quite good if you give it a little help!
I rarely cook with Swiss Chard, I need to change that! I bet the marinated feta is really good with it~
Jenna
It’s good with so many dishes Jenna, even just out of the oven roasted potatoes!
We used to tease my mother relentlessly. One year we got her a bumper sticker that read “I Brake For Dandelions”! She really did; she’d cut them down along the highway, take them home, scrub every bit of dirt off them and cook them up. Can’t get much fresher than that!
I love it! Quite an image, and it would have been funny to take a picture of her picking the greens with the bumper sticker in the shot!
Dandelion greens was what I intensely craved all winter when I was pregnant for my daughter. Nothing was right, I tried every green I could find and was still unhappy. The week she was born, the dandelion greens came out and I didn’t want them any more. Sigh!
Haha!! I had the same thing with coffee, but in reverse. During my pregnancies I couldn’t stand the smell or taste of coffee and had to drink tea for 9 months. Right after giving birth, I had a craving for coffee! ☕️ PS – Mom made some tasty dandelions! Also broccoli rabe, escarole and my very favorite …. cardoon!
Oh, she loved the bitter like me!
I bet she liked Moxie too!
Greens are wonderful. I would choose humble escarole and beans over many fancy feasts.
I’m with you Angela! Beans and greens!
Oh yes, those deer are definitely casing the joint! Haha…been there, done that!
I confess that I’m in a rut when it comes to Swiss chard; I almost always braise it in coconut milk because I love the gentle sauce it makes. But this sounds so fresh and delicious! Got my eye on that marinated feta as well, because I have a big chunk leftover from another recipe and I’ve been scratching my head about how to use it up.
It’s a great way to use those bits of cheese!
I’m going to have to try the coconut method. Sounds great!
Yum, yum, yum! This sounds like the perfect way to “eat your greens”! 🙂
It was Nancy, and no one complained!