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Years ago when I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn we did not go out to eat in many restaurants, but we did get Chinese take out food often. There was something about those little white cardboard boxes with their metal handles that added a certain smell that mingled in with all the good fragrances inside those containers.
It was those times that I grew a great fondness for Chinese food and especially for Bok Choy.
Bok Choy is so easy to grow. It is not to be confused with Chinese cabbage, but it is a member of the cabbage family. I grow it from seed and it grows very quickly so one can put in successive plantings. Bok Choy has long, thick white stalks that are topped by lovely blue-green leaves. It is also a plant that can be grown in containers and I have grown it successfully in containers with 3 good plants in each container which is at least a gallon size when I am recycling containers so make sure you have a container that is at least 12 inches deep and 14 inches wide.
Bok Choy will bolt in the hot summer weather so you may want to do an early spring planting and a late summer planting and you will have some by early fall.
You can plant tall Bok Choy or Baby Bok Choy and mix them with other veggies if you are doing a container. If you do plant your seeds in a container you can do it before the last frost by keeping your containers in your house and you will have a head start with the Bok Choy and then after the last frost put your containers outside. We no longer need a big garden and containers are great for us and give us plenty of food for two people.
When the plants are 1 foot to 2 feet tall they are ready for use which is usually within 45 to 50 days. These are “non-heading” plants so when you are harvesting just cut the plant at the root about an inch from the bottom. Mine also have plenty of dirt in them so I wash the stalks and leaves well and pat them dry. I cut off most of the leaves off each side living just two leafy pieces on each stalk. I always cut my Bok Choy in diagonal slices as I do my celery and carrots because I basically use it for stir frying recipes.
Stir fry it quickly in your favorite recipe. It should be hot and crispy as all the vegetables in a good oriental stir fry should be.
Bok Choy does not freeze well. So do not plant more than you think you will be able to use. Do not plant it where you have previously planted cabbage as it may cause some plant disease to occur.
One half cup of Bok Choy contains only 10 calories, is a good source of calcium, is low in sodium, high in vitamin C and contains no fat or cholesterol. It also makes a good, quick side dish as it microwaves and steams well.
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Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/
To see Arlene’s Gardens and to read her gardening diaries and to take a walk through her pictorial garden or click on Arlene’s Books where you can download or buy her gardening & cook books, including her new book, “The ABC’s of Wine and Beer Making”. Remember to check out her artwork, especially of her fruits and vegetables. Arlene says, “All my royalties from the sale of my books go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I thank you for visiting my site.”
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