Napa Cabbage
Brassica rapa var. pekinensis
T
all, straight, pale yellow, dense, ruffl ed, crop, to be sown in mid-August, with a late
crisp, and mild tending to sweet, the in- September transplanting , to let it sweeten in
credible Napa cabbage is also known as Chihili the cooler evenings and avoid the typical sum
or Michihili. mer bolting.
A native of Asia, it was first planted in Cali-
I’ve chosen the variety called Tenderheart
fornia’s Napa Valley—largely for Chinese and because it has all the qualities of taste and tex-
Asian immigrants, but it caught on rapidly and ture of the larger China Express variety, packed
is now widely cultivated. Because of its density, into a miniature dense and crisp head weighing
height, and rapid growth, it makes an ideal com about 2 pounds.
mercial crop; but without much fuss, it does Young leaves have far superior flavor and are
well in the small kitchen garden pound for best when harvested at about 5 inches tall.
pound against other greens. When days are long and hot, expect rapid
Because it is crisp and tender and sweet, it bolting, so it’s best to cut early and use in salads
makes a perfect bed for salads. It can be tossed and slaws.
in a light dressing and brightened with fi nely
chopped mixed-colored sweet bell peppers and
green onions. The Numbers
Napa also has enough genuine character to Contains a nutrient initially thought to be vitamin
withstand a swift stir-fry without losing most U, now known as the amino acid glutamine, which
of its bulk. It can be a very refreshing main dish appears to do a good job in regenerating cells in the
when stirred up using the salad ingredients just gastrointestinal tract.
listed. For each 100 g raw (3.5 oz ; 1 cup): 20 calories, 0 g fat,
I didn’t have room this year to try it out, but 0 g saturated fat, 3 g carbohydrate, 1 g protein, 1 g
I’m planning for it in year two as an autumn dietary fiber, 13 mg sodium
188 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE
