Asian Vegetables Honored in 1999

When last we left you, we were celebrating the Year of the Salvia. The National Garden Bureau has also proclaimed 1999 as the Year of the Asian Vegetables to satisfy vegetable enthusiasts. There are five Asian vegetables featured in this week's column.

They are: Asian eggplant, asparagus bean, daikon, pak choi and snow peas. Admittedly, most if not all of these vegetables may be unknown to you. However, many are used frequently in Asian cuisine, such as stir-fry dishes. All are easily grown from seed or plants, although you usually will have to order them by seed. While Asian eggplant and asparagus bean can be grown as summer vegetables, the other three do best in the cooler weather of spring or fall.

Taking snow peas first, also known as Chinese snow peas, these sweet pods are eaten whole, either raw or lightly steamed or sauteed. Being peas, they do best with some support from trellises. Successive sowing can be made every 10 days from March through May for harvest through early July. As soon as the peas finish bearing, turn them under rather than pulling them to provide nitrogen to future crops.

Pak choi, also known as bok choi, is sometimes called celery cabbage. The stalks are tender and particularly good when cooked lightly in a stir fry. Stalks can also be shredded and added to cole slaw with other types of cabbage. The leaves are good when prepared like other greens. Pak choi can also be added to soups and stews. Plants do best in the cooler weather of spring, early summer or fall in most of California. Plants are also heavy feeders, so fertilize with composted manure or a balanced fertilizer. The green can be used as early as 30 days after sowing, although it takes 50 to 60 days to have harvestable heads.

Daikon is also known as Japanese radish. They are odd looking things, being long and narrow, usually white, green or creamy yellow. They range from two to three inches in diameter,a nd from six to 15 inches long. Daikon is a root crop and best grown in cooler weather. Their flavor varies from mild to pungent, and all are crisp much like turnips. They are often peeled and sliced raw into dips and salads, or boiled and steamed like cooked turnips or grated into stir fry. Seeds and plants need plenty of water, and fertilize with a high phosphate, high potash fertilizer; avoid high nitrogen since it prompts leaf growth at the expense of roots. Daikons are ready for harvest 50 to 60 days after sowing.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic