Ooh! I love me some chard, and that is what it gets called around here, just chard. I have some Bright Lights that is getting close to being ready, the chard and cole crops are the only things liking our currently frigid and wet weather. Have grown Fordhook Giant too, but dang HH your chard got beyond gargantuan!
I have never thought about pickling the stalks, that's a lovely thought, think I will give that a go when my chard is ready. We are a bit behind your magnificent Willamette valley on the plant readiness timeline.
So glad to see a post from you, can't wait to see what you are going to be cooking up with all of that gorgeous foliage!
Hey, good to see you here, @generikat! I haven't been around much. But I know you have been occupied with other things, too. Chard is so fun to grow. Even just slicing the stalks and putting them in the pickle juice from the last jar of pickles you finished, makes those stalks pretty tasty. They aren't storage pickles, just refrigerator pickles. But that's easy. I'd say I hope your weather warms up, but given last year's fire issues, I say the longer it's cool and wet, the better off we all are. Enjoy your cole crops -- maybe it will be a Cabbage Summer instead of a Tomato Summer.