Growing for the Wok?

[lmonty]

DH just told me he wants to eat more home cooked oriental type foods- he enjoys the cooking shows and likes to try new recipes. Didn't take me long to realize this provides the perfect excuse for me to order new seeds and things to try. ;D

I'm not much into "greens" since I don't like the bitterness I perceive in the commercially served mustards and kales, etc. Chilis are another thing to try, but real hot ones are out- need something fairly mild but with flavor.

In the past i have grown and liked the variety "Vitamin Greens" from Johnnys. that doesn't have the bitter tang, so i will definitely grow some of that. I don't have experience with chinese cabbage but do recall reading something that there are multiple types, spring and fall?

Would really appreciate suggestions for types of varieties to grow to give him multiple varieties to play with for his flavor, color and size, consistency palette for stir fry and other recipes. Thanks much in advance for your ideas.

[garnetmoth]

mmm sounds good! I have to admit I havent had great success with my Asian greens because I usually plant once. several of them bolt (but most are still fine to eat, maybe a bit fibrous) pretty quick.... Im going to try to plant-and-take-notes this spring. I have komatsuna and early mibuna seeds. I also just like plain old green cabbage in a soy-based stir-fry sauce.

My husband loves baby bok-choy (less bitter than the older greens usually) but ive never grown it.

And carrots, celery (especially with anything topped with peanuts or cashews!), onions, topped with beansprouts!

[happyskunk]

lmonty,

My recommendations are www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/product_details.aspx?item_no=PS15431 and Green Fortune Pak Choi www.reneesgarden.com/seeds/seeds-hm/vegO.htm#pak

[bertiefox]

I'd second the Green Fortune Pak Choi. I've got some I sowed in late December in a propagator and it's already large enough to plant out in the polytunnel bed. It's hardy enough to survive a degree or two of frost and doesn't seem to mind short day length in making growth. I know by March I will have lots of leaves to cut and come again for stir fry meals. A late summer sown crop will give you greens well into winter, but unfortunately our tunnel is usually too full of summer crops to have space to plant it out in time.

[grunt]

The chinese cabbages (both michili and napa types) are nice and mild, and Portuguese Couves Tronchuda are nice too.

[mnjrutherford]

Is your new bride helping you select and new and different varieties Dan?

[lmonty]

Thanks guys appreciate it.

[atash]

Is it cool enough in your climate to grow peavine?

Varieties of pea with relatively tender green parts. You eat the tender new leaves, not the pods though the pods are edible young.

www.evergreenseeds.com/snowpeashoots.html

These are expensive in the markets here, but it is one of my favorite vegetables. It tastes like spinach, but better. Chewier than spinach too. Just make sure you make sure that there are no tough sections. If the shoots get too old they turn tough.

My favorite Chinese Brassica is Gai-lan. "Chinese Broccoli". It's sort of halfway between Broccoli and Rapa, and it has the same flavor as rapa, but a lot stronger (well, fancy that, you also eat it more mature). A lot of people are surprised to discover I like it as it ranges from mildly to quite bitter. The Chinese will eat it even blooming; just cook it blossoms and all.

DO NOT STIR-FRY IT AT HIGH HEAT! That will ruin it. Instead, you peel any tough areas of skin like you do broccoli (I'm one of those people who eat the whole stem), steam it for about a minute, then BRIEFLY fry at moderate heat. Otherwise, the flavor, color, and texture will turn disagreeable. A nasty kind of bitter instead of a pleasant mustardy bitterness.

Gai-Lan is widely-available, however, oddly enough, not from Evergreen seeds. I could probably find another source if interested.

Arrange the gai-lan stems on the serving platter so that they are all neatly stacked in the same orientation.

Although not an Asian vegetable, Asparagus is becoming popular among the Chinese, because it takes to stir-frying well. Blanch it for a few minutes in hot water, then stir-fry. Do not try to cook it solely by stir-frying, as it will dry out before it is cooked tender. Coat with a little stir-fry sauce AFTER it is cooked. Serve with some lightly toasted slivered almonds sprinkled over it.

[castanea]

We stir fry collards. They're great.

[grunt]

We will be placing an order with www.evergreenseeds.com/ and perhaps www.kitazawaseed.com/. So far we have just been grabbing what is on the racks in the stores, with no idea of the varietal name, just the type by appearance.
I will add lo bok radish to the above recommendations = I have grown them before, and they can be immense if you get it right.
I'll have to add the peavine to the list too.

[castanea]

And don't forget this Canadian seed company that focuses on Asian vegetables:

www.agrohaitai.com/onlinecatelogue.htm

They even have water convolvulus which unfortunately is prohibited in the US, because it is such a tasty green:

www.agrohaitai.com/leafveg/waterspinach/waterconvolvulus.htm

[mnjrutherford]

Gads Atash! You are SO making my mouth water!!!! Think if I chanted over my asparagus patch they'd come up faster??? ;o)

[blueadzuki]

Jan 28, 2011 21:36:52 GMT -5 castanea said:

They even have water convolvulus which unfortunately is prohibited in the US, because it is such a tasty green:

It is? My goodness, I used to get seed packets of it at an Asian supermarket I used to frequent ALL the time (I remember them due to the fact the packets had no growing information AT ALL, apart from the rather blurry picture on the front, the seed packet was completely blank) I'm assuming that that was an "upland" version (like rice, water spinach comes in upland (doesn't need to be grown in standing water) versions as well (actually no rice needs to be grown in standing water, that's for pest management. but there are some that are more drought tolerant.) Never got any to grow, though so it may not have been good seed at least for my area (that store had a tendency to buy seed packets from anywhere they could (a lot came from a company in Thailand) so a lot of it wasn't really ideal for growing here in the Northeast.)

[castanea]

It grows pretty well anywhere but won't set seed in short summer areas. If you can find the seed, buy it, grow it and eat it. The seed lasts a long time. It has the potential to be "invasive" in the southeastern US so the entire US can't have it.

[robertb]

Mangetout are excellent in a stirfry. The local Vietnamese uses them quite a bit.