Asian Greens ~thinking outside the wok

Image from Vegetablematter.blogspot http://vegetablematter.blogspot.com/2009/09/asian-vegetables-in-houston.html Bok Choy,Pak Choy, Mizuna, Tatsoi, Gai Lan, Mache, not just for stir fries- but also in soups, dumplings, raw in salads, noodle salads, steamed with miso sauce, here are a few recipes to try (vegetarian)... Potstickers: http://chinesefood.about.com/od/vegetarianrecipes/r/vegpotstickers.htm Green dumplings: http://chinesefood.about.com/od/dimsumdumplings/r/greendumpling.htm Fennel Hash, and Minty Noodles with Bok Choy: http://www.vegalicious.org/category/ingredients/leaf-vegetables/bok-choy/ http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/veggilemongsoup.htm Mixed Greens and Bean Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing:http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2008/09/30/bok-choy-outside-the-wok/#more-954 Lebanese pies with Asian greens and feta: http://vegetablematter.blogspot.com/2009/11/lebanese-pies-with-asian-greens-and.html Good thing I've planted about 20 plants, my first mission: dumplings!

mesclun wildfire

Mild Mix Mescluns from West Coast Seeds - these grow like wildfire - and you can clip them several times before reseeding. Growing them in a box makes watering easier and keeps away weeds. (although one time I was clipping the greens and came up with a strange item: a baby walnut tree, which came from a squirrel's hidden treasure). I collect salad dressing recipes, here's a great one I found yesterday in the latest book by Alice Waters: "In the Green Kitchen" (where it seems all the rage now is to get yourself a big, old mortar and pestle to use instead of your kitchen aid) http://alicewatersgreenkitchen.com/ http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/04/weekday-vegetarian-book-review-alice-waters.php Great for when your herb garden gets going: 1 garlic clove, 1 shallot, 3 Tb.white wine vinegar, 3 Tb. lemon juice, 1/2 ripe avocado, 3/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup whipping cream, 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley, 3 Tb. fresh tarragon, 2 Tb. cilantro, 1 Tb. basil, salt and pepper, chives Finely dice the shallot and garlic, macerate with white wine vinegar and lemon juice. ( you can add 2 anchovies, if you like them, I don't).Add avocado and whisk with a fork. Whisking with the fork, gradually add olive oil and cream. Stir in herbs, salt and pepper.Pour dressing over salad, sprinkle with chives.

white vegetable

In Chinese, Bok Choy means "white vegetable" I am picking the first Asian greens to braise for supper tonight! Braised Baby Bok Choy Ingredients * 1 Tbsp. olive oil * 1 Tbsp. sesame oil * 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger * 3/4 pound to 1 pound bok choy or baby bok choy, washed and trimmed * 1/4 cup vegetable broth * 2 Tbsp. minced garlic * 1 Tbsp. soy sauce * 1 Tbsp. brown sugar Directions 1. Heat the oil and sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add grated ginger and cook 1 to 2 minutes, until ginger perfumes the oil. 2. Add bok choy (if you are using regular bok choy, you can cut it into chunks if you like) to the skillet. Stir fry until the bok choy becomes bright green, about 2 minutes. 3. Remove bok choy to a serving plate. 4. Add broth, garlic, soy sauce and brown sugar to the pan. Cook another 2 minutes or so to allow flavors to meld. 5. Pour over bok choy. Serve immediately.

sowing quinoa

image source: http://www.allos.de/english/product-range.html This year, as I've enlarged the garden space, I'm planting some crops that grow relatively large: 5 foot tall King Tut pea;, Quinoa, which can grow between 3 - 10 feet; and Stevenson's Blue -Eyed beans. Interspersed amongst the peas and beans will be soybeans, squashes (which take up a lot of room as they spread),a corner for burdock root, and a few poppies which I'm growing for seeds. In the older garden space, with its finer soil, go the lettuces, tomatoes, beets, carrots, spinach, chard, turnips, radishes, brassicas, etc. this is the first time I've grown Quinoa( Chenopodium) As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach and tumbleweeds.Quinoa originated in the Andean region of South America, where it has been an important food for 6,000 years. Its name is the Spanish spelling of the Quechua name. Last year I tried growing a row of Amaranth - which produced gorgeous crimson tassels, but acted mainly as an aphid magnet - which is fine, the rest of the garden got a break! But the grains produced were minimal. I'd grow it again just for the colour, and for their edible green leaves. I'm starting the quinoa in seed flats, will transfer to larger pots, harden off, then they'll go out into the garden later in May/June when it's warmer - they love lots of heat. The new garden has heavy soil, but I'll amend it with compost first.Optimum soil is a well-drained loam but quinoa will do well in all but poorly aerated clay soils. they don't like to be too wet: given good soil moisture, they don't need water until the plants reach the two- or three-leaf stage. This blogger's account of their quinoa growing experience is interesting, especially the harvesting technique: quinoa has a saponin coating on its seeds (to protect it from birds and insects, which must be removed before eating. I has to be soaked for 3 days prior to cooking. http://www.homesteadgarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5054 image source: http://snailbusters.wordpress.com/tag/pomacea/

eat your greens: nettle noodles

here is a recipe for nettle noodles (or any kind of spring greens or herbs you have) found on the goodnaturedearthling blog: Nettle Noodles 1 1/4 cup flour of your choice 2 eggs 1/2 t. salt a small handful of minced nettles Put the flour in a bowl, make a well in the middle and crack the 2 eggs in it. Add salt and minced nettles. With clean hands, work all ingredients together. When mixed, drop the noodle ball onto a floured surface and knead a few times until it becomes pliable. Roll out thinly and cut into strips. Drop into soup or boiling water and cook for 7-10 minutes depending on thickness. Very, very good and goes so perfectly with nettle pesto! You can substitute any fresh wild green such as dandelion greens for the nettles. If using culinary herbs such as sage, oregano, parsley and rosemary, cut down the amount to about 1 teaspoon.