October 2023
My favorite month, October. Fall has finally arrived, punctuated with a few warm days, but a definite improvement. Great gardening weather.
Last month I covered many of the vegetables that can be planted now. This month I will focus on highlighting some of the many Asian Greens that have become very popular for fall, winter, early spring gardens or for mixed containers. Mainly used in stir fried dishes but they also compliment soups, salads and my favorite…eggrolls!
Chinese Cabbage is a Napa type cabbage that forms a large, cylindrical loose head with light green leaves. It has a sweet, slightly spicy flavor and is a staple in stir fired dishes. Bilko, Michihili and Rubicon are tall growing varieties, 10-12” height. Minuet is more of a “personal size” cabbage at 9” height.
Bok-Choi, Pak Choi, Joi Choi are often called Chinese Cabbage but are members of the brassica family. With ark leafy green leaves that sit atop thick, white crunchy stems. Both parts are used in traditional Chinese stir-fry and soups or sauteed with mixed vegetables.
Mibuna & Mizuna are highly nutritious leafy Japanese greens that produce numerous leaves and grow to about a foot tall. Their mild mustard flavor is a great addition to a mixed salad, in stir-fry or lightly braised with other greens. A great cut & come again plant.
Last but not least is Tatsoi, sometimes called Chinese Spinach or Vitamin Green for being an outstanding source of vitamin C. Dark green, spoon shaped leaves form a rosette with tender, short stems. It has a mild nutty, mustard flavor and can be eaten raw in salads or used much like regular spinach in any recipe.
I hope you will give some of these marvelous Asian Greens a try in your fall garden and in the kitchen.
