| One of the easiest to grow of all the | | | | |
| vegetables, Silverbeet, also known as under | | | | 1 tblspoon lemon juice |
| the names Swiss Chard and for the coloured | | | | |
| stemmed variety Rainbow Chard, gives a huge | | | | 1 clove crushed garlic |
| harvest in a short amount of time. Two plants | | | | |
| would be enough to feed one person with | | | | 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger |
| silverbeet for every meal of the | | | | |
| weekPROPAGATIONYou can grow these plants | | | | 1 teaspoon soy sauce |
| directly in the ground from seed, or you will | | | | |
| get 6 to 8 seedlings in a punnet for around | | | | 1teaspoon sugarShred silverbeet and put in |
| $3.00 at your local nursery. | | | | bowl with chopped bacon, bean sprouts and |
| | | | cashews. Mix dressingingredients together |
| Seeds cab be sown in early spring and late | | | | thoroughly and pour over salad and toss |
| summer, early autumn. Put two or three seeds | | | | well.SILVERBEET & RICOTTA CANTALONNI1packet |
| in the one hole about 40cm apart and 1cm | | | | of instant cantalonni pasta |
| deep. Keep the seeds moist, but not wet. I | | | | |
| prefer late autumn plantings, as I find they | | | | 1 tub of ricotta cheese |
| are less likely to bolt to seed than spring | | | | |
| plantings.CULTIVATIONEven though these plants | | | | 1 bunch of silverbeet |
| will grow just about anywhere with very | | | | |
| little input, to get the best quality out of | | | | 2 cups of grated cheese |
| your silverbeet, grow them in soil enriched | | | | |
| with organic matter, such as compost or | | | | 4 cups of neapolitan or bolognaise tomato |
| rotted manure. Keep the plants moist, but not | | | | sauce |
| wet. They will grow in part shade as well as | | | | |
| full sun. It doesn't hurt to liquid feed them | | | | salt and pepper to tasteShred silverbeet |
| over the foliage with a seaweed fertiliser | | | | very finely, mix with the tub of ricotta |
| once a month to keep the fresh leaves coming | | | | cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste (I |
| on. Also, harvest the leaves frequently, even | | | | always use fresh ground black pepper and sea |
| if you aren't going to eat them. This helps | | | | salt). |
| stop them running to seed. Pests to watch out | | | | |
| for are slugs, snails and caterpillars.So you | | | | Stuff the ricotta mixture into the |
| haven't been a fan of silverbeet in the past? | | | | cantalonni shells. Lay stuffed cantalonni in |
| Try these delicious recipies and you might | | | | a shallow dish.Cover with neapolitan sauce |
| just change your mind about this humble | | | | and cheese. Bake in a preheated, moderate |
| vegetable.SUMPTUOUS SILVERBEET SALADEven my | | | | oven for 40 minutes.Jody has been in the |
| dad, who hates silverbeet, loves this salad. | | | | horticultural industry in Victoria for close |
| It has a real smokey flavour.1 bunch | | | | to ten years.She ran her first nursery at 25 |
| silverbeet | | | | while studying horticulture through the |
| | | | University of Melbourne. From there she moved |
| 3 cups bean sprouts | | | | on to work in three diverse nurseries in |
| | | | Melbourne and the country, two of which she |
| 3 rashers cooked bacon | | | | managed. |
| | | | |
| 1/2 cup roasted cashewsDRESSING | | | | Jody also wrote a weekly gardening column |
| | | | for The Weekly Advertiser for five years |
| 1 tblspoon white vinegar | | | | while running a small local nursery in |
| | | | Horsham. |
| 1/2 cup oil | | | | |