Updated: Nov 28, 2022
Eat the rainbow, (and no I’m not talking about Skittles). I just love chard and I love it’s crunchy colorful stems. Although, very often, I end up with a lot of extra stem pieces. They’re way too pretty to toss so I’ve started pickling them. Don’t worry, this isn’t a Sunday afternoon project, these are super quick refrigerator pickles. (i.e. the kind I have patience for).
You could slice yours into long spears, but I chop mine up (they pickle quicker that way), and them I eat them Japanese Tsukemono style – as a simple condiment with rice (or any grain), and a few vegetables.
They’re tangy and a little bit sweet – a bright little pop of color and flavor!
pickled chard stems
Author: Jeanine Donofrio
Serves: 1 cup
Ingredients
- about 1 cup chopped chard stems (any color)
- salt
- 2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons raw cane sugar
- optional - ½ a sliced shallot
- optional - a few pink peppercorns
Instructions
- Chop your chard stems and sprinkle them with salt. Set aside.
- Toast the brown mustard seeds in a small saucepan for a minute or so (don't let them burn). Add the vinegars and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and let the brine cool.
- Place the chopped stems and sliced shallot in a jar, cover them with the brine and refrigerate overnight before eating them.
- I like to top mine on salads or in rice (or quinoa) bowls.
adapted from bonappetit.com
I made this for the quinoa bowl, but it’s so so good on its own!!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Going to make this later this afternoon.. Thought I would add a few radishes as well and a couple of chillies will let you know how it goes
Hi! I would like to try to make this. Approximately how much salt did you use for this recipe? Thanks so much!
How long will this keep in a jar? Does it need to be refrigerated?
Hi Alissa, These do need to be refrigerated. They’ll keep well in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
There’s no quantity given for salt, which is a fairly important component of a pickle recipe
Can you use this brine to pickle other vegetables?
Hi Nancy, you can, but actually here’s my preferred brine for any vegetable: https://strong-nights.today/pickled-red-onions/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class=reply>
My husband and I were both blown away by this recipe. Beyond just pleasantly surprised, it became a household staple. we put this on sandwiches, salads, tacos, on naan with Indian food, the list guess on. All the earthiness gone and a sweet, slightly tart, bright citrus flavor that paired with just about anything. I wish I’d come across this recipe sooner. Thank you!
I’m so glad you both loved them!
Looks so pretty! Going to try this right away! As to the chard stems for other purposes, I use them as a celery replacement, since I’m not fond of celery. Just chop them up in tuna salad, potato salad, etc!
Made this, but obviously did something wrong. After pickling, the stems were so tough I couldn’t eat them. Do they need to be blanched first? Could I can them in a waterbath canner? I did cut them thinner so they were pencil thickness. Brine was excellent!!! I will have to try this again.
Perhaps I missed it, but how much salt is used for the recipe size of 1 cup chopped stems? I’ve got 4 cups and plan to freeze half and pickle half because this sounds wonderful.
Hi Ellen, thanks for pointing that out. For this small jar, I do a few pinches – you could do between 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.
Delicious and easy to make! Next time I will consider cutting the mustard seed in half. The flavor of them is fine, but the little buggers are everywhere. 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
fantastic! i made a jar, kids scoffed at first, 1 day – gone!
I know at the end of this recipe, it says can serve over rice but is there a specific recipe for rice we can try these pickled chard stems in/on? 🙂 I hope
Hi Laura, here’s a recipe where I used the pickled chard stems (it’s quinoa, but you can use rice instead if you want): https://strong-nights.today/spring-quinoa-bowls/%3C/a%3E Also, feel free to use another protein if you like and/or use different roasted vegetables. You could also use them in a bowl like this in place of the sauerkraut: https://strong-nights.today/macro-bowls-turmeric-tahini-sauce/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3Ehope that helps!
has anyone processed this in a boiling water bath for longer shelf life?
What about beet stems, would they work too? They are a little more stiff usually, so I’m wondering if they would work, pickled separately? Thoughts?
Hi Susan, I think they should work, I can’t see why not (they might take a day or two longer to soften) – let me know if you give it a try!
Hi Jeanine, well I went ahead and made them yesterday. There were a few recipes online and I tried one. I used your recipe for the rainbow Swiss chard stalks (I left them as sticks). But for the beet greens, I chopped them very fine and used your proportions for the vinegar and honey. I used shallots and mustard seed, but I also added a fresh thyme and crushed peppercorns per the other recipe. I’ll report back when I’ve tasted them. In the future, I’ll probably omit the pepper. I just realized that when I make chard or beet greens it’s one of the few times that I skip pepper — IMO it does something weird to their taste, so I should have considered that and skipped it. But we’ll see how it turns out for the stems.
Sorry, that should have read ” a…heaping T of…thyme…” for a batch that filled a pint jar + a half-pint jar.
This recipe inspired me to try my hand at pickling my chard stems! I made a few changes based on what I had on hand, but they came out as perfect little zingy bites of goodness. I hate wasting food scraps, so I loved your idea. Your photos are stunning. I mentioned you in my post as my source of inspiration. Thanks for all the creative ideas!
Just moments ago, I read a lovely recipe elsewhere for making chard wraps, similar to lettuce wraps. I knew I could always throw the stems into my soup stock freezer bowl, but I like your idea so much better.
This is today’s Recipe of the Day on a Facebook page I curate called Cooking with Whole Grains & Real, Whole Foods.
Thank you for sharing it. I look forward to trying it. The chard in the stores is beautiful right now.
I bought rainbow chard for the first time today solely because of this recipe and your blog. Bring on the pickling!
ha – hope you enjoy!
Made the pickled Swiss Chard Stems the other day…delicious!
so glad you liked them!
I am a massive fan of Japanese Breakfast – but generally leave out the pickled vegetables, but these are so pretty! I’m making them right away – yum!