Bok Talk

This appeared in the April 23, 2020 edition of The Fish Wrap.

Between the happy “bok, bok, bok” of our chickens and the name of one of our early season vegetables, there’s a lot of Bok around here! Winter-hardy Bok Choy is also called Chinese cabbage. It has celery-like stalks with a nice crunch and big dark green leaves which have a lighter flavor than other greens. We are enjoying learning how to use this nutrient-dense power house green.

Bok Choy is a rich source of Vitamins A, K and C (shown to support immunity), making it one of the most nutrient dense vegetables. Nutrient density identifies the amount of beneficial nutrients in a food in proportion to other factors like energy content, weight or amount of detrimental nutrients. Chemical farming decreases nutrients while Regenerative farming increases it. Our Bok Choy packs a punch!

Bok Choy is fun to cook with. The young plants can be cooked whole, while the bigger plants can be chopped. You can stir fry it, braise it, or chop it for use in salads. It has a rich and nutty flavor when roasted with olive oil and salt. There is a Chinese dish called Lion’s Heads which is a pork meatball served on a bed of Bok Choy leaves to make the mane. If you know Becca, you know her obsession with roasting. We are experimenting with the best use for it, but simply roasting the leaves makes a delicious chip that is becoming a favorite!

Here’s a great idea to incorporate this nutrient-dense, immune-boosting food into your life. Take your favorite traditional, American dish - like Chicken Soup. Chop some bok choy and throw it into the soup pot. Add some asian flavors like soy sauce, ginger or lemongrass to make the Bok Choy feel at home in the soup. Call it Bok Bok Choy Chicken Soup!