In Praise of Asian Vegetables

[unclefudgly]

Hi all

I am an avid fan of growing asian veggies, and have had plenty of failures over the years but have never given up looking for the perfect Pak Choi for growing in the UK, though it still eludes me as of yet!!

I will be growing at least a dozen different types of Asian veggies this year, including Tai Sai, Pak Choi, Komatsuna, Kailan, Ong Choi, Amaranth, Yard Long Beans, Thai Basil, Sharks Fin Melon to name just a few.

Just wondered if anyone else has tried and succeeded and what tip you have for varieties to grow.

My giant Komatsuna picked today has my expectations running high, but don't they always.

[Penellype]

I find Pak Choi a challenge - it has a tendency to bolt and the slugs love it. I grow it for baby leaf in salads, but this year I tried some in a hotbed and its doing really well so far - about 6 inches across and (touch wood) no sign of bolting. The variety is just called "Tricolour mix". I've never managed to get anything remotely resembling a heart on it though.

I love mizuna, again for salads - it has kept me in leaves for much of the winter, grown uprotected outside. I also like komatsuna, but again only baby leaf. My attempts to grow choy sum were an abject failure, but I may try again later this year.

[unclefudgly]

Same here I'm afraid Penellype, Pak Choi is just a bolting phenomenon in my hands, never had more than a handful of "proper" pak choi in over 4 years. I will not give up though and had some good results from tai sai at the end of last year. Tai Sai is like long stem pak choi and tastes great.
Same bolting problems with the choy sum and kailan!

[Monster]

I love growing Asian veggies.

I have had good luck with Tsoi sim, tatsoi, mustard, flowering shoot, purple flowering choi, mizuna and... pak choi! I grew one from Real Seeds called Tai Sai and a packet of something else someone gave me (from..Lidl maybe?). Tai Sai was better but the other one was good for baby pak choi.

I've got kailaan and 'Wa Wa Cai Choi' Zha Cai Stem Vegetable' to try this year

[Kirk]

Pak Choi has the problem here that we have seasons. The light/dark bit varies.
Pak Choi is used to about equal amounts so we go it, it gets what to it are odd hours of light/dark and so it does what any self respecting plant would, panicks and bolts for it.

With the weather here I would say that growing around Spring (Equinox) is too cold, that leaves sort of August/Sept where the days may be OK and the temperature also.

I would guess that this would effect other Asian veg we grow here as well to some degree or another.

[kris1960]

I love growing Asian veggies.

I have had good luck with Tsoi sim, tatsoi, mustard, flowering shoot, purple flowering choi, mizuna and... pak choi! I grew one from Real Seeds called Tai Sai and a packet of something else someone gave me (from..Lidl maybe?). Tai Sai was better but the other one was good for baby pak choi.

I've got kailaan and 'Wa Wa Cai Choi' Zha Cai Stem Vegetable' to try this year

I'm jealous- they had run out of wa wa when I ordered! Tatsoi fantastic and delicious through winter and grew my personal best pak choi outside- eaten by end of Feb. I have kailaan seedlings in bed as well as back ups in cold frame. Tai sai about 4" in cold frame. More pak choi seedlings in greenhouse. Have put most asian green seeds away until July. Will sow some komatsuma though as first lot failed.

[donksey]

How do you cook your oriental veg?
I often stir fry mine in garlick then add some rice wine then oyster sauce, sometimes sprinkle dried shallots on top.

[Lumpy]

Emporers Savoy and any of the oriental radishes for me - raw, fried or steamed = yum yum.
But...I have learnt to grow them from the end of July onwards as it helps their savage need to bolt.

[Penellype]

Just salads for me so far - I haven't got round to trying to cook them as I only grow a few and amounts are small.

[Bill HH]

I am interested in your verticle seed trays, this is a new technigue to me. So far my attempts have resulted in all the compost and seeds falling out. I presume this is to simulate steep mountain sides as found in china.

[bario1]

I have had a lot of pak choi bolt, but spring and autumn sowings of the green types (I use Yuushou) have been very successful - the ruby types are bolting as the seed germinates as far as i can tell. Maybe they like the cooler wetter climate up here? I had some the size of small cabbages two years ago! Beware though, if they sit in the ground too long they suddenly go bitter and revolting overnight, so these days i try to eat them as baby veg. I grow them in long window boxes, about 20 per box, and sow successionally.

[unclefudgly]

How do you cook your oriental veg?
I often stir fry mine in garlick then add some rice wine then oyster sauce, sometimes sprinkle dried shallots on top.

Exactly same for leafy veg, but we cook our Ong Choi (water spinach) "fai daeng" style with chilli and yellow bean paste

[unclefudgly]

Bit of a progress update..

things are really getting going in the polytunnel now and I have just picked my first crop of Purple Komatsuna and Kailan "Bailey"





There are lots of flowers and baby fruit on my peppers - Indian Long Red ( no idea what they are actually called but from some dried peppers a friend brought back from Calcutta)



And I am trying Chayote (choko , chou-chou ) for the first time

[WilliamD]

They look fabulous! :-)

[cilla]

Funnily enough I re-read the June issue of GYO last night and on page 16 is a small article on Oriential veg by Anna Swithinbank. She mentions Chinese Cabbage and Pak Choi. Made me think about trying a few of each this year.