I is crazy how big our Bok Choy has become. Thirty-six plants ready at the same time is a big deal because they can all bolt at the same time if you just leave them out there and do nothing. I tied my apron on, grabbed a knife and just started hacking them off above the root. If you cut at the right angle, you can get the whole plant to stay together and it looks so nice.
It did not take long to fill up my basket! And it was over 50 lbs of Choy and I was thinking, I am not sure we can use all of this crop. So I stuck that basket in the back of the truck and drove down the road to see if I could bless someone. Even if they did not know what it was, I thought, I could tell them what to do with it. Not a problem!
My friend Daisy was so delighted to take some choy. I even gave them some of our abundant crop of broccoli. Look how the three bok choy plants are almost bigger than her son! So fun! I love sharing the bounty of God’s creation.
When I was talking with Daisy, she told me something that was so fascinating about the holes in my bok choy. I thought it was a bad thing and she said it was a good thing, you see, according to Daisy, the Japanese only select the produce that has holes in it. They are smart. The holes mean that the bugs eat it. If the bugs like it, it is also good for us. They will not eat a diseased or non organic plant. Good to know!
I am not sure what happened to this plant but I found it like this in the row.
After cutting the choy, I found some leaves that were left laying. I found a good use for them. I do not like anything to go to waste…
I fed the extra leaves and stalks to my lovely cow and she gobbled it right up!
Our potato plants are doing great as well as the peas as you can see.
Whoa, now, look at all these pesky weeds growing by our beautiful brussel sprout plants. Well, these are what most would consider a weed but in fact, it is a delicious wild edible called lambs quarter…
This is what it looks like and if you want to know what it tastes like, I would say it tastes similar to spinach. Very nice texture and flavor. God just bountifully blessed my garden with a crop of greens that are just as nutritious as spinach without even trying! What a blessing!
And the way you harvest it is just pluck the leaves and collect them this way…
I was so glad to pluck a nice pile of them to add to my salad. Owen was the one who told me about it and when I tasted it, the grin on his face was priceless. He said he just loves when a person discovers a wild edible because they usually grow in abundance.
When I was planning supper, I planned it around the garden, of course. That is the fun! I cut another crop of broccoli and after using the tops (which I will share in just a bit), I chopped up the stems finely to add to a salad.
Fresh Spring Garden Salad:
- Finely chopped Bok Choy
- Finely chopped broccoli stems
- Finely chopped carrots
- Finely chopped 1/2 onion
- One head of romaine lettuce
- A handful of the lambs quarter leaves
Toss it together and then I used Braggs Liquid Aminos for the dressing to give it that oriental spring fresh zest. It was probably the BEST salad I ever had and so full of nutrients. You might want to try this when your spring garden is in full swing.
Bok Choy Stir Fry
- One head of bok choy chopped fine
- One onion chopped
- 3 carrots chopped
- broccoli flowers cut in half
- coconut oil to lightly sauté
- Add some chicken and broth
Season with Braggs Liquid Aminos, a sprinkle of ginger, a squeeze of lemon, a splash of raw apple cider vinegar, and a splash of sesame oil. Do this to your own taste, but it is absolutely flavorful and wonderful. What ever was left over, I made into soup for dinner. I added bone broth and a can of potatoes along with another quart of water, brought it to a boil and had a whole other meal for our family. Straight from the garden!
I cut about 20 plants and had to plan for putting some up for the winter. I had Megan wash and cut the stems into segments and I loaded them into the chopper.
I had a little difficult with the processing, I needed to add the thicker peaces with the leaves because the leaves would not spin the best. But together they weight of the bigger stem pieces would drive the leaves into the blade.
Molly was loading the chopped choy into freezer bags…
We labeled them and stuck the into the freezer. We have plenty for soups, casseroles, and stir fries for the future. That will be nice!
Junior took some of the bok choy and he was making the most delicious fresh squeezed choy juice!
Fresh Choy Juice
- 4 stalks of Bok Choy
- 1 whole lemon
- 1 green apple
Juice it all and then pour it into a glass. It is a very refreshing drink that is packed with nutrients.
Bok Choy is full of nutrition. read this article, it says a lot about the benefits of this wonderful vegetable in the garden… http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=152
Have a blessed day!
~Erin
3 thoughts on “Bok Choy Blessings”
Receiving such a harvest is truly a blessing because you can not worry about the nutrition of your family.
Dear Erin
It all is such a blessing. I do some world History with my oldest this year, the twentieth century and I come to think how bad the people had it and how planting could be a solution. We should always make sure that when there are hard times we know how to take care of ourselves and others with the nature God gave us.
Thank you for sharing all the scrumptious recipes.
Only a true master of his craft, a real gardener will be able to collect a rich harvest. It is cool that you are growing these unusual plants and applying them in various dishes.