Bok Choy
Brassica rapa var. chinesis
U
ntil I began the garden, I had only a nod prisingly to many of us) it got quite hot—in
ding (but still aff ectionate) relationship the upper 80s and 90s—for a week or so, and
with the large-leaf, heavy, white-stalked bok my happy plants bolted rapidly. (So harvest the
choy and its miniature variety mei qing choy, outer leaves when young for best flavor and to
which I’ve always called baby bok choy. help avoid bolting as the days lengthen.)
I had understood that bok choy, related to I’d read that they gather up their best fl avor
the Napa cabbage (see page 188), has another as the days get shorter. Mine never got that
close relative called pe-tsai (Brassica rapa var. chance because I’d planted them in full sun.
pekinensis), which is a small dessert-spoon-size Next time, I’ll wait until autumn to plant, and
variety, with dark green leaves that you can “cut pray for a mild winter.
and come again” leaf by leaf throughout the I especially like to use the white, tender stalk
growing season. of the larger variety as a stir-fry base, since it
Th e term cut and come again refers to leafy adds a refreshing keynote that is slightly sweet.
plants, like lettuce, chard, and mustard, that And because pe-tsai cooks so quickly, it is a
can be harvested as young leaves without pull splendid last-minute addition to stir-fries.
ing up the entire plant. Cuts are usually made
about 2 inches above the soil level. I use a pair
of scissors that I keep in a plastic box with a few The Numbers
antiseptic cloths to wipe the blades just in case Bok choy has remarkable anticancer properties,
there are any diseases that could be spread. including glucosinolates and vitamins C and A.
Bok choy and its family members did really For every 100 g raw (3.5 oz ; 1 cup): 13 calories, 0 g
well in my new raised beds when temperatures fat, 0 g saturated fat, 2 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein,
were relatively cool. Then suddenly (and sur 1 g dietary fiber, 65 mg sodium
88 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE
