Spotlight on a Different Winter Green
Hi folks, Happy New Year to all, and best wishes for a bountiful gardening year. To assist in this, we are going to highlight some of our varieties that shine at certain times of the year.
For example, right now in the garden there is a green that is just crushing it! No, it is not kale— although it is doing well and we harvest it regularly. What I would like to showcase here is a variety of Chinese Cabbage called China Choy— a large type of Boy Choy that we grow all through the year for its great taste, quick growth, and stellar hardiness. Here is a quick pic from our website, but I will show a video at the end with plants in the field right now.
As you can see, it is very pretty. It is also super versatile in the kitchen too. We use it in all kinds of stir fries. The stems are sweet and crunchy and can be eaten raw like celery, but the greens benefit from a bit of cooking. I know some people eat it raw, but we don’t.
Another way we eat China Choy is made into Kimchi. What is Kimchi? It is a traditional Korean dish made usually from Napa Cabbage and other vegetables. China Choy is a great substitute: It is waaaay easier to grow, and tastes great in kimchi. And the great thing is, there are literally hundreds of ways to make it, which means there is no right way. I made a perfectly tasty version my very first time (meaning my kids ate it, who have plenty of experience with my experiments and don’t eat anything funky).
As for growing China Choy, if you can grow kale or turnips you can grow this. We start it inside and transplant it out, either in a greenhouse or in the field, depending on the time of year. So many critters like to eat baby brassicas that we have found the best success with transplanting over direct seeding. Once transplanted (at a couple of inches high), we usually cover them with row cover— again, to keep away pests— until they are several inches high and can fend off any predation. This may not be necessary where you live, I don’t know.
They can be eaten at any stage by snipping off leaves as needed, or you can harvest the whole plant at once, when it’s full sized. Here is a short video of plants growing outside now but under under a cover (we often grow our winter veggies like this, under some sort of cover. It doesn’t need to be grandiose either Anything that sheds the snow will do. They will survive without it, but they end up with much more damage from the snow.)
I hope you have a better idea of the potential of China Choy in your garden. It is also equally at home in the summer garden.
Until next time, all the best.
Sal from Sweet Rock Farm Seeds