04/09/2017
These chard leaves are different than the chard we are usually eating. They are at least a rare phenotype, if not a completely different species from Swiss chard. They look different. They taste different. And they have never been bitter. I put these plants in as starters. The starter supplier that I got them from cannot remember even having them. They were clearly labeled “Iraqi Chard” though. Sadly, He did not know how to get them again. For the last month, I have been looking for an opportunity to manifest a handful of seeds for this plant. I finally tracked down some bunches of leaves on the shelf of one of the Iraqi markets between main street and mount Helix Area of El Cajon. I will not mention the names of the owners or the store. A lot of you know who they are though. I “intentionally” bumped into the owner of the store and struck up a conversation. I made sure he understood my passion and appreciation for this unique variety of chard. I noted the super thin stems, the arrowhead shaped leaves. But mostly I related my love for the unique soft flavor of this wonderful chard. He opened up to me. Among many things, he explained that this was a preferred leaf for rolling Dolma. But then he kind of blew my mind. He told me something I never would have expected. His family grows these leaves for the store. They get the seeds for the planting of the leaves every year, in the mail from a family member in Mosul, Iraq. Theirs is not an organic store. As a matter of fact, nothing they sell appears to be organic. But here is what makes their little secret even more interesting to me. The leaves are 100 percent organic. They are not labeled organic intentionally. Apparently, everyone in the community who shops their store is fully aware that the chard is grown down the street. They all know it is organic too. During the time we talked, two young mothers and an old hunched over woman perused and basketed a bunch or two of chard. I asked him how he felt about running a local organic chard speak easy. This got him to laughing. I figured that now was the time to do the dirty deed. How about them seeds? I asked with a serious face. His face got even more serious. This made me wonder if I just screwed everything up. “Now, I think I have to get my wife”, he said. He told me to go to the front of the store. Hmmn, stand by the door? Could be a good thing. Could be a bad thing. His wife appeared immediately. She got flour on me when she shook my hand. After grilling me about my ability to germinate seeds and care for plants, she looked at her husband and rattled of a few fast sentences in Arabic. He looked at me with a satisfying smile so big, you would think I just won the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes. You come back in 5 days. The seeds will be in an envelope at the front, waiting for you. Be very careful with them. Very careful. I will my friend…..I will.
