2014 Bok Choy

Bok Choy is not a vegetable that I grew up eating, but I eat it now.  Some call it Chinese Cabbage. Regardless what you call it, it is one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat.  In fact, the Center for Disease Control study, bok choy ranked second out of 41 fruits and vegetables for nutrient density.  It is loaded with Vitamin A and Vitamin C.  We added it to our planting rotation a couple of years ago.  It has really grown well this year and is now ready for harvest.  It is one of the first of our Fall/Winter crops that is currently ready.  Kale will be ripe soon.

So last week, we pulled some of the biggest bok choy plants, took them inside and washed them and stir fried them in a little oil, flavored with garlic, ginger and soy sauce.  It was nice to eat the first produce out of the Fall Garden.  They were delicious.  We'll continue to harvest and eat them over the next few months.

Healthy bok choy flourishing in the garden

We mulch either side of the bok choy with hay and this keeps competition from winter weeds from overtaking the crop.

Row of Bok Choy

We'll pick and eat the largest plants first as it will bolt, sending up a tall shoot with yellow flowers on it.  Bok choy has a scallop shaped stem, sort of looking like a soup spoon, where it attaches to the stalk that must be washed good as the scallops harbor dust and grime.

We like trying new things in our garden and will continue to plant new and exciting things like bok choy.  In fact I've got a few very interesting items that I'll be showing you over the next couple of months that are new to Our Maker's Acres Family Farm.