Pac Choy
Culinary Use, Storage, & Benefits
Vegetable Profile: Bok Choy (Brassica rapa, Chinensis group) (See also: Pac choi)
Description
A sweet and mild tasting, upright green with thick succulent stalks. We love this crop for sautés and ferments, especially Korean style kimchi. Classic component of stir-fry. It’s one of the cold, hardiest greens we grow!
Nutrition
Choy is considerably rich in calcium, antioxidant beta-carotene, and features a diversity of phytonutrients common of the cabbage family. It’s a cooling and soothing tonic for the digestive system and helps expel excess water.
Storage
Choy stores well in the fridge for 5-7 days in a waterproof container and with light moisture.
Use
The juiciness of this green is best put to use in stir fries and ferments.
Cooked: Wash and chop the choy from base to tops (excluding the roots) and add to heated olive oil, minced garlic, and soy sauce.
Fermented: Chop thinly like cabbage, salt until it tastes like seawater, and mix with carrot and other cabbage family plants. Pack firmly into a jar, with a smaller jar inside to weigh the matter down under the juices. Let ferment, covered but breathing, on the counter for 3-7 days. Cap tightly and refrigerate. Use it on everything!
Sources
The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood
Asparagus to Zucchini by Fairshare Coalition
The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Eliz Katz
Produce: A fruit and vegetable lover’s guide by Bruce Beck
Our own experience!
