I’ve made this delicious recipe before but this time around it is even more special to me because this Swiss chard has Potrero Hill terroir. That’s right! My community garden plot has finally produced its first crop.

sautéed rainbow Swiss chard with garlic and lemon

I was able to harvest this batch of tender, shiny chard leaves from my thriving plants. They are clearly enjoying soaking up the California sunshine and Pacific breezes in the windy heights of Potrero Hill. What an exciting moment! We’ve been working on this garden since February and it is finally paying off. Now I’m really looking forward to harvesting the different types of kale and the sweet peas soon.

one of the Swiss chard plants in my community garden plot

fresh rainbow Swiss chard from my community garden plot

This dish is very simple to make. In the original post, I used Meyer lemon. This time I used a squirt of Lisbon lemon at the end just to give a hint of sourness. This is a perfect side dish of greens to accompany almost any meal. I served mine with Pindzur, rice and cranberry beans. Yum!

sautéed home-grown rainbow Swiss chard with garlic and lemon

14 leaves Swiss chard, stems cut into ½ pieces, leaves roughly cut into large pieces or left whole
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt to taste
Juice of ½ Lisbon lemon

Add oil to a skillet on high. Add garlic and sauté for a couple of seconds until aromatic. Add chard stems and cook for a minute. Add chard leaves. Shake the pan a couple of times to coat leaves with olive oil. Cover and vigorously continue to shake the pan to cook leaves evenly. It’s ready when volume has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice, transfer it to a platter and serve.