Bok choy can be a little confusing. It’s one of those Asian vegetables that finds itself saddled with several slightly different English spellings -- bok choy, bok choi, pak choy, pac choi -- or labeled “Chinese chard” or “Chinese mustard.”
This member of the cabbage family looks a little like chunky celery, a long, light green stalk with smooth, dark green leaves. It’s becoming easier to find at local farmers markets and mainstream grocery stores.
Greg Brown of Greenleaf Farm in Barnesville, an hour south of Atlanta, has been growing bok choy since he first started his farm in 2007. During the winter he can be found selling his vegetables at the Emory University Farmers Market on Tuesdays and the Decatur Farmers Market on Wednesday afternoons. When spring arrives, you’ll find him back at the East Atlanta and Peachtree Road markets, or you can participate in his Community Supported Agriculture program on the farm or delivered in the Atlanta area.
Brown said he started growing bok choy because he likes it. He sows it in rows along with other Asian greens like tatsoi and harvests it at every stage, from thinnings to huge mature heads. He remembers discovering a 7-pound bok choy at the end of one of his 100-foot rows. “I traded it to one of the other vendors at one of the markets. They had family coming in and it fed a lot of people,” he said with a laugh.
Bok choy is one of those vegetables that can be succession-planted from early spring until fall. Brown starts pulling thinnings just 20 days after he’s planted seed, and finds that plants grow to maturity in about 45 days. Unlike a lot of other greens, bok choy will grow throughout the summer heat, stopping only when we get our first freeze.
Once you get it home, bok choy should keep for up to a week but is best used within a few days. “If you’re buying fresh produce, don’t buy it to store it,” Brown tells his customers.
As for cooking ideas, Brown suggests sautéing bok choy with a little garlic and adding soy sauce just at the end. “It cooks quickly, almost as quickly as spinach,” he said.
All parts of bok choy are edible. Since the stems are thick and watery, if you’re using large bok choy, you may want to separate the stalks and leaves. That would be important in a recipe where you wanted to cook off the liquid from the stalks without overcooking the greens. Otherwise, everything can go into the pot together.
Baby bok choy can be cooked whole or quartered and make an attractive side dish. No matter what the size, trim off the stem end and be sure to rinse completely to get rid of any dirt that can be lurking between the stalks.
Like other members of the cabbage family, bok choy is low in calories and high in nutrients. A half cup contains about 10 calories, is a good source of calcium and is high in vitamins A and C.
At local farmers markets
Local markets with winter hours:
Dacula Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. ranchoalegrefarm.com.
Decatur Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays. http://decaturfarmersmarket.com/wordpress.
Emory Farmers Market, noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays during school year. www.emory.edu/dining/emory_farmers_market.php.
Morningside Farmers Market, 8 to 11:30 a.m. Saturdays. www.morningsidemarket.com.
For sale
Vegetables: arugula, Asian greens, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, collards, kale, leeks, lettuce, mizuna, radishes, spinach, sweet potatoes, turnips, winter squash
From local reports
Poached Chicken With Bok Choy
Hands on: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 cups water
1 bunch fresh dill, roughly chopped
6 ounces (about 2 cups) shitake mushrooms, caps sliced 1/4(quarter)-inch thick, stems reserved
1 cup sliced green onions
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced
1 Thai chili, thinly sliced
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 heads baby bok choy, quartered
Salt and pepper
In a large saucepan, combine stock, water, dill, mushroom stems, green onions, ginger and chili. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and add chicken breasts. Cook until chicken is just done, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove chicken breasts and set aside to cool. Strain stock and return to saucepan. Discard solids.
Add bok choy and mushrooms caps to stock and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Add chicken to stock. Taste for seasoning. Heat through and serve.
Per serving: 301 calories (percent of calories from fat, 12), 44 grams protein, 37 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 5 grams fat (trace saturated), 66 milligrams cholesterol, 167 milligrams sodium.
Adapted from a recipe at wholeliving.com.
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