The Last of the Bok Choy

When I was growing up, green vegetables weren't on my list of favorites.  I ate green beans, and lettuce and broccoli, but other than that, I wasn't really a fan.  At some point my taste buds changed and I began to really enjoy them.  I look forward to eating greens and like to try new things.

This is the second year that we've grown bok choy.  This is a vegetable that I hadn't even heard of until a few years ago.  Some people call it Chinese cabbage.  We only have about 8 plants left on a 30 foot row that was full earlier this Fall.  Tonight I harvested one that was about to bolt into the flowering stage.

Bok Choy about to be harvested

I used my clippers to snip it off at the base and brought it inside.  You can see that the plant has a large, green, leafy portion and then a white, scallop shaped stem where it is attached to the stem.

I carefully plucked them from the stem and prepared them to be washed.

Bok Choy Sunshine

You have to wash the stems real good as the spoon-shaped stems are ideal for capturing dirt, leaves, and grime.

You have to make sure to wash them

Once washed you simply chop them up.

Chop Chop!

We get a cast iron pot real hot and then add some dollops of butter, salt, a little water and some soy sauce and allow to cook down for a bit.

Cooking the Bok Choy

We don't cook it for that long.  We like it to still have that crunch.  When it just begins to turn from a bright green to a darker color, it is ready.  Tonight we're eating mostly items that came off our farm: bok choy, sauteed peppers, purple hull peas over rice, and chicken livers pan fried in butter accompanied by an ice cold glass of fresh raw milk.

Supper Time!

It may not be white table-cloth fancy, but we feel like we're blessed to be eating high on the hog.