This tender annual, with striking purple leaves, can be used as a cut and come again leaf when young and harvested when mature for stir fries and soup. A popular Chinese vegetable. 9x9cm pot (8cm depth)
Description
- High in antioxidants
- Cut and come again
- Adds flavour to salads
- Easy to grow
A versatile vegetable that began life in China, pak choi can be used in many ways and is well known for its crisp and juicy leaf stalks. Young stalks tend to be more tender and the best eaten raw or in stir fries. In the past this vegetable was pickled in brine to preserve it.
Plant care
- Height: 30-60cm
- Type: Tender
- Aspect: Sun
- Soil: Any/alkaline
- Flower colour: Yellow
- Flowering period: June - August
An easy annual to grow – it needs to wait for all the frosts to have finished before planting out. It produces juicy leaves and if not harvested, eventually flowers and dies. It is grown from seed each spring.
Usage
This popular vegetable has a similar flavour to cabbage or spinach and the leaves have a fresh and crisp texture. The leaves and stalk can be eaten raw or gently steamed. It is a pleasant addition to salads or served as a vegetable and is seen in many Asian stir fries.
Pak choi is full of nutrients, good amounts of vitamin C, A, E K, and B6 along with minerals calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium.
It is used in traditional Chinese medicine to clears heat and eliminates toxins.