Not Sure What Swiss Chard Is, Huntley Farmers' Market Vendor Will Educate You

Providence Farm has the typical Farmers’ Market vegetables, potatoes, broccoli and beats. And, it has some not so typical vegetables.

Take the Swiss chard. It’s a veggie with a stalk like celery and a leafy part similar to spinach that is popular in the Mediterranean.

But its flavor is distinct.

“It’s got a strong taste,” said Elaine Book, of Providence Farm in Belvidere. “You have to try it, it’s hard to explain.”

While you may not be sure what to do with Swiss chard or how to eat it, Book and her family have a few ideas.

The family provides recipes for some of the more unusual vegetables they sell at the Huntley Farmers’ Market every Saturday.

Many of the recipes are from customers, others are family recipes that are tried and true, Book said. Her daughter also researches recipes to provide a variety for customers.

Another vegetable that you don’t see in grocery stores very often is the kohlrabi.

“It’s a very versatile” vegetable, Book said. “You could use it raw, in a dip or add it to a salad. Kohlrabi is German for cabbage or turnip. It has a very mild flavor.”

Kohlrabi is also good cooked, she said. It can be mashed like potatoes or creamed or breaded and fried, she said.

The vegetables sometimes remind people of dishes their grandmothers use to cook, Book said. Some were more commonly used than today, she said.

As for the recipes, people seem to like the idea, she said. “It gives them an idea of what to do with it at home.”