Yukina savoy is a brassica, the family home of vegetables including cabbage, but it’s an Asian mustard green. Similar in texture to more familiar American mustards, yukina savoy has a more delicate flavor, mild and almost sweet. It looks a little like a cross between Swiss chard and mustard, with succulent 12-inch-long stalks topped by the crinkled deep green leaves. The "savoy" in its name refers to those crinkled leaves.
Planted Rock Farm offers its vegetables at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market and in a community-supported agriculture program with a drop-off point in metro Atlanta.
Kessler also provides his yukina savoy to local restaurants, where chefs eagerly snap it up as an unusual addition to their menus. "They like that it does not need to be cooked at all to still be delicious," Kessler said.
He puts in 100-foot-long succession plantings of yukina savoy to extend the harvest for his customers. This spring's intense early heat has been a challenge for all greens that need cooler temperatures to keep from throwing up seed stalks and becoming too bitter to enjoy. The end of yukina savoy for this spring may be near.
Flea beetles also have been a challenge this year. Floating row cover draped over the 100-foot beds is the best protection available at this farm, which has a no-spray philosophy. Leaves with beetle nibbles are just as delicious as unbitten leaves, but are not as appealing to the farm's customers.
Yukina savoy will keep in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks if washed, shaken dry and then packaged in ventilated plastic bags. If using it raw in a salad, just chop it up, stems and all. If you’re cooking it, as in the recipe below, strip the leaves off the stems and cook the stems a little to get them tender before you add the leaves for a quick wilt.
At local farmers markets
Cooking demos:
6 p.m. Thursday, May 17. Chef Seth Freedman of Ruby Root Connections. East Atlanta Village Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.farmeav.com
9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 19. Chef Jeffrey Gardner of Alma Cocina, working with chicken. Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.morningsidemarket.com
10 a.m. Saturday, May 19. Chef Dave Larkworthy of Five Seasons Brewing. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
11:30 a.m. Sunday, May 20. Natalie Keng of Chinese Southern Belles. Grant Park Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.grantparkmarket.org
For sale
Vegetables and fruit: arugula, Asian greens, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, collards, cucumbers, dandelion, endive, English peas, escarole, garlic, green beans, green onions, herbs, kale, leeks, lettuce, mache, mushrooms, mustard greens, onions, pea tendrils, peanuts, potatoes, radishes, spinach, strawberries, sugar snap peas, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips, zucchini
From local reports
Yukina Savoy With Sweet Chili Shrimp
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
This recipe matches the sweetness of yukina savoy with succulent fresh shrimp, and then spices everything up with a little sweet chili sauce. Serve with brown rice.
1 bunch yukina savoy, stems and leaves separated
1 bunch green garlic or green onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound large shrimp, peeled
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
Cut yukina savoy stems and green garlic or onion in 1/4-inch slices.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat 1 minute. Add stems and garlic or onion. Reduce heat and sauté vegetables until tender, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to high and move vegetables to one side of the skillet. Add shrimp in one layer. Cook 3 minutes on one side, then turn and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in yukina savoy leaves and chili sauce and stir constantly, heating until leaves are wilted. Serve immediately.
Per serving: 155 calories (percent of calories from fat, 32), 23 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 5 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 173 milligrams cholesterol, 182 milligrams sodium.
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