If you’ve been visiting some local farmers markets or small natural food stores lately, you might be seeing some items with which you’re not so familiar. This expanding diversity in the food marketplace is exciting, yes, but it can also be intimidating. For example, spelt, swiss chard and sorrel are all ancient in origin but rather new on the scene in today’s modern foodie explosion. Each has a unique flavor, an interesting history and outstanding health benefits. Together, they make a filling and tasty dish.

Swiss Chard 101
Unless you’ve grown up in the South or with a southern cook, you probably haven’t been exposed to a lot of cooked greens in your diet. Swiss Chard is the superstar among the greens family that includes kale, spinach, beets and collards. It literally is off the chart in Vitamin K (great for your bones) and Vitamin A (good for vision and warding off cancer). In addition to that, it’s got loads of fiber, iron, potassium, magnesium and even some calcium. All in a mere 35 calories per cooked cup! Pretty impressive, eh?

I know what you’re thinking though… how does it taste? Surely something so healthy is gonna be gross. Nope. It’s quite tasty and easily added to a great number of dishes. Two of the most common ways of preparing Swiss Chard are sauteing (as we’ll be doing with today’s recipe) and using it in soups. You can also throw it into just about any stir fry and any baked dish that might normally call for spinach (such as a quiche or lasagna). It’s great over pasta, rice or spelt, and it’s flavor, while a tad bitter, melds nicely with just about anything. It also retains a nice bright color after being cooked so for once your kids might not think the green stuff on their plate is slime.

When selecting Swiss Chard, look for perky full bright green leaves and flexible (not too stiff, not too wilted) stems. The smaller leaves will cook faster but become next to nothing after a few minutes in the pan. Larger leaves will hold up more in the pan but will take longer to cook and sometimes be a bit chewier. I like to aim somewhere in the middle for leaves that are about the size of my outstretched hand or a little bigger.

By the way, Swiss Chard, or silver beet as it’s also known, isn’t really from Switzerland. While it is widely cultivated there, it was part of ancient Greek cuisine and continues to be quite popular in the Mediterranian today.

Sorrel 101
Sorrel’s a little funny. It started out as a rather common plant growing in many European pastures. Cows are quite fond of it. It seems that peasants took to collecting it for salads and then eventually it made its way into French cuisine and now it’s considered rather gourmet.

With a tangy, bright flavor, sorrel is a favorite in soups and sauces, particularly those that are cream based. Due to its intense flavor, it has the unusual designation of being both an herb and a green (generally, plants harvested for their leaves are considered one or the other). It’s also excellent with lamb, in pesto and in quiche.

It is very high in Vitamin C and A, which is why it was used to prevent scurvy back in the day. It was also ground into a paste to use as an antiseptic on the skin. It was also used in folk medicine as a diuretic so don’t eat too much of it!

Spelt 101
An ancient grain, spelt is a member of the wheat family and dates back to medieval times (or maybe even earlier as it’s been found with neolithic remains). While it was quite popular in those olden days, once the modern form of wheat was cultivated (the type that makes today’s bread), spelt dropped off the radar.

Spelt is now returning to some markets as a healthful substituted for those folks looking to limit their wheat/flour intake. Since it has a different gluten level than regular wheat, folks with wheat allergies sometimes find spelt does not bother them. It also is much higher in fiber and contains a fair amount of protein. Spelt can be found in natural food stores (such as Weavers Way Co-op and Trader Joe’s) as an unprocessed grain that look like rice, as pasta and as flour.

Directions for cooking spelt:
To cook spelt when it’s a whole grain, it’s best to rinse it a time or two in cold water and then let it soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. When it comes time to cook it, heat a little oil and sauté it for a minute or two to get it toasted. Then add enough stock or water to just cover the grains. Let it simmer with the lid on until all the liquid is absorbed (about 45 minutes). Its texture is very chewy and the flavor is mildly nutty. And, boy, does it fill you up fast!

Sauteed Swiss Chard and Sorrel over Spelt
An original recipe from Straight from the Farm

2 bunches swiss chard (about 24 stems)
1 bunch sorrel (about 10 stems)
5 cloves of garlic
1 large shallot
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 - 4 c. vegetable or chicken stock (amount will depend on spelt)
1 c. spelt
salt and pepper
grated parmesan cheese

Begin by putting the spelt on to cook. See above for full directions. Reserve a half cup of stock for greens.

While spelt is cooking, mince garlic and shallot. Removing the stems, roughly chopped the sorrel. For the swiss chard, if you are using larger leaves, cut around the main vein in the center and then remove the stem (see picture for illustration). If you have really young/small leaver, you do not need to remove the vein. Roughly chop the swiss chard.

Place two tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil in a skillet. Add shallot and garlic and sauté until golden. Add the chopped greens and stir briefly to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir again. Add half cup of stock and reduce heat to low. Allow greens to simmer until most of liquid is absorbed and greens are tender. Add additional salt and pepper as needed.

To plate up, mound up spelt and grate some cheese over it. Then mound the greens on top and grate some more cheese. Serve with sliced tomatoes or other fresh seasonal vegetable on the side.

(serves 2)

Events this year include a Kick-off Party with local microbrews and cheese steaks, an Urban Farm Bike Tour, an Urban Agriculture Bus Tour, a City Harvest Lunch and Tour, a U-Pick Farm Tour, “The Book and The Cook” talks, a film series on local foods, chef cooking competitions, and much more. Visit Local Food Philly for a list of everything that’s happening.

So you live in Virginia, Texas, Washington or somewhere else other than Southeastern Pennsylvania? Even if you aren’t in the immediate area of the official Buy Fresh Buy Local events, you can still join the fun in spirit by visiting local farmers/markets near you to savor the sweet taste of fresh picked corn, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and much much more. If you’re not one to cook much and have a favorite local restaurant, consider asking the chef or your server what’s on the menu that’s been bought from local farmers. If there isn’t anything, encourage them to seek out such suppliers. Even if it’s just “Honey from the Hood” for sweetening tea, every product bought local is in support of the movement to bring food back to its roots, close to home and tasting so fresh you’ll forget the condiments you usually slather on those vegetables from 2000 miles away.

So what is an urban farm? Since city farms are typically the size of large gardens, let’s first define the difference between a farm and a garden. According to Webster, a farm is “a tract of land…on which crops and often livestock are raised for livelihood.” A garden, on the other hand, is “a plot of ground…where flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruits, or herbs are cultivated.” While one is a tract and the other a plot, the real difference between a farm and a garden is the expectation of turning a profit from the produce being grown. Thus, an urban farm can be loosely defined as an agricultural pursuit taking place within the boundaries of a city with the intent to sell what it harvests.

Still thinking the idea of a farm in the middle of the city is a little contradictory? While urban agriculture has required some unconventional/creative methods, it really isn’t that unusual. Urban agriculture has been used by the United Nations in many developing countries to encourage a healthy food chain and generate jobs in the poorest parts of the urban world. Conversely, a few enterprising Canadian urbanites started farming their backyard and their neighbors’ backyards some 20 years ago with the mission of reconnecting North Americans to sustainable farming methods. Since then, new methods for intensive planting/harvesting in order to generate much greater yields from small plots of land (SPIN farming) have been developed to make farming in the city profitable.

Let’s get out of the land of definition and philosophy to explore a real life example of urban farming. Weavers Way Farm, located in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, America’s 5th largest city, started in 2000 as a volunteer project through Weavers Way Co-op, a community owned market. Now in its sixth full growing season, the farm employs two dedicated staff and has expanded its acreage of organically grown crops. Located in an arboretum surrounded by a neighborhood typically rife with urban blight and crime, the farm is now providing truly fresh produce to a community that has little exposure to green spaces, let alone to its food sources. Through educational programs with local schools and donations to City Harvest, a nonprofit distributing produce to those less fortunate, Weavers Way Farm has already begun to have an impact and envisions many more outreach programs, both with children and adults. The farm has a blog, Straight from the Farm, for engaging the public in its produce, mission and events. In addition, cooking classes and a bike tour of all Philadelphia urban farms are also planned. With each new season, the produce is higher in quality and more abundant. The heirloom varieties grown will get more and more interesting, ensuring continued biodiversity in a national food chain that has suffered from homogenization by industrial agriculture engineering plants to endure long shipping distances and aggressive harvesting methods.

Weavers Way Farm is just one great example of how productive urban farming can be. If you live in a city, there’s a good chance a farm exists near you. A good starting point for finding one is through the directory on www.localharvest.org. Hopefully you’ll have a chance to visit one of these urban oases. If so, you’ll be inspired by the intimacy and beauty to be had when you get so involved with the origins of your food. Not to mention, you’ll be amazed at how good heirloom tomatoes taste!