Pak choi cabbage is a tasty and healthy leafy vegetable: features of growing and cooking. When to plant pak choi? Harvest and storage

It is one of the most ancient Chinese vegetable crops. To date, she has gained great popularity in Asia and every day more and more gains new fans in Europe. Pak-choi cabbage is a close relative of Beijing cabbage, but differs from it in appearance, biologically, and also in economic qualities. Although they are completely different, gardeners still confuse them very often. One has dark green leaves and bright white petioles, while the other has light green leaves and petioles. Pak choi is much juicier than Chinese, more piquant and spicier in taste. The main differences are coarser, hairless leaves.

Pak choi is an early ripe variety of cabbage that does not head out. The leaves are collected in a rosette with a diameter of about 30 cm. The petioles are tightly pressed, thick, convex below, often occupying two-thirds of the mass of the entire plant. Pak choi stalks are very crispy and taste like spinach. Fresh leaves are used in soups and salads.

Some call pak choi a salad, but this is not true, because, as mentioned above, this is a type of cabbage. It has a different name different peoples, for example - mustard or celery. In Korea, pak choi is valued, the smaller the better, as small pak choi cabbages are much more tender.

How to choose

When choosing pak choi, pay attention to the leaves, as they must be juicy green and fresh (not sluggish). Young good cabbage has leaves of medium size, when broken - crispy. The length of the leaves should be no more than 15 cm.

How to store

In order for pak-choi to retain its beneficial properties longer, it must be stored following all the rules. To begin, separate the leaves from the stalk and rinse them under running water. After that, the leaves must be wrapped in a damp towel, then put in the refrigerator.

pak choi calories

Pak choi cabbage should certainly appeal to lovers of low-calorie foods. After all, its calorie content is very low, and is only 13 kcal per 100 g of product.

Nutritional value per 100 grams:

Benefits of bak choy

Composition and presence of nutrients

Low calorie content is not the only advantage of pak choi, it is rich in fiber, vegetable, indigestible fibers. Fiber is very important in good nutrition, as it not only serves to prevent problems with stools, but also effectively cleanses the intestines of toxins, toxins and cholesterol.

Pak choi leaves contain a large number of the most valuable for the human body, vessels of vitamin C. Vessels retain strength and elasticity precisely because of it. Vitamin C takes an active part in the synthesis of protein, collagen, which allows the skin to remain elastic and elastic longer. One hundred grams of pak choy leaves contain about 80% of the required daily value of vitamin C.

Cabbage also contains vitamin K, it improves a very important indicator of blood - clotting. The body's daily need for this vitamin can be replenished by eating two hundred grams of pak choi.

Please note if you accept medications to thin the blood, then you should not use pak choi. Vitamin K will reduce the effect of drugs "to nothing".

Pak choi contains the most vitamin A among its relatives. It stimulates renewal skin at the cellular level, and in its absence, the synthesis of rhodopsin, the photosensitive pigment of vision, is not possible. Vitamin C deficiency adversely affects human vision and often leads to poor visibility at dusk, which is popularly called night blindness.

Useful and medicinal properties

Pak choi cabbage is a very valuable dietary vegetable. It is indicated for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and of cardio-vascular system. Pak choi juice has a bactericidal property and retains all biologically active vitamins, minerals and enzymes.

Pak choy is considered an ancient remedy. Its juice has healing properties and is used in the treatment of non-healing ulcers, wounds, burns. The leaves are ground on a grater, mixed with raw protein chicken egg and this mixture is applied to wounds.

This vegetable is of great value in the treatment of anemia. Together with cabbage fiber, harmful cholesterol is excreted from the body, and this plays a huge role in the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis of blood vessels.

Pak choy is used as a dietary component for diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

In cooking

To maintain good nutrition, it is very good to eat pak choi. It is usually fried with meat, tofu, other vegetables, also steamed, fried in oil or used as a side dish. Everything in pak choi is edible, both roots and leaves. It is very easy to clean and cook it: the leaves, separated from the petiole, are chopped, and the petiole itself is not cut into small circles.

But it should also be remembered that after boiling or stewing, pak choy leaves will lose most useful qualities especially vitamins. So it is best to consume pak choi in the form of a salad. To do this, take bell pepper, fresh grated carrots, grated

Pak choi is a traditional Chinese cabbage that has been cultivated in that country for thousands of years. Recently, exotic culture is gaining a well-deserved place on our tables. Growing it is not difficult, pak-choi is early and undemanding to soil fertility, while it has good taste. White fleshy petioles resemble asparagus or chard, and green leaves similar to spinach.

Description of Chinese pak choi

Chinese pak choi cabbage is a close relative of Beijing cabbage, but differs from it in appearance, growing conditions, and culinary use. In another way, it is called mustard cabbage - for its spicy taste. It looks like an exotic lettuce up to 50 cm high and up to 30–40 cm in diameter. Smooth or pimply leaves are collected in a rosette, their color is from grayish and light green to dark green with white veins. It differs from Beijing cabbage in its lower height, increased cold resistance and the fact that it does not form a head. White succulent petioles form around the central bud, making up the bulk of the plant. You can eat both tender sprouts and adult shoots. If you cut off the young shoots at the white base of the cabbage, after a while it will grow back.

In China, young heads of pak choi are most valued, having small sizes, up to 15 cm high - they are more tender and juicier.

Chinese cabbage stalks taste like asparagus or chard, and the leaves taste like spinach

Chinese cabbage combines dietary and medicinal properties, it contains:

• vitamin C - supports immunity, a source of antioxidants;
• vitamin P - strengthens blood vessels, helps the body fight viral and bacterial infections, reduces allergic reactions;
• vitamin A - improves vision, prevents atherosclerosis;
• magnesium, potassium, phosphorus - trace elements necessary for the normal functioning of the body;
• fiber - to cleanse the body of toxins, improve digestion;
• folic acid - it is especially necessary during pregnancy for correct formation fetus;
• lysine, an essential (i.e., not produced in the human body) amino acid that helps fight various diseases, even cancer.

Pak choy is great in the first spring salads, but it can be used as a soup, as a side dish, or as an independent vegetable dish. It goes well with other vegetables and meat products. At heat treatment becomes sweetish, and fresh has a slight bitterness, like arugula. Chinese cabbage can be boiled, fried, stewed, even pickled and harvested for future use. Pak-choi is a fast-growing crop, already a month after planting it can be used for food.

Chinese cabbage should not be consumed in large quantities in diabetes, because it can cause hypothyroidism and other hormonal disorders.

Popular varieties

In Russia, this crop has been grown recently, so there are not so many zoned varieties:

• Alyonushka is an early maturing variety with a medium-sized leaf rosette. petiole fleshy, middle length, wide, green.
• Vesnyanka is an ultra-early leaf variety for open and protected ground. Seedlings appear on the 3rd-4th day, the first collection after 20-25 days. Rosette semi-raised, densely leafy, up to 35 cm high
• Swallow is an early ripe stalked variety of Chinese cabbage. Shoots are juicy, white, fleshy. The mass of plants can reach 1 kg or more, while more than half of it is petioles.
• Swan - mid-season (40–45 days) variety. The leaf rosette is upright, up to 40 cm in diameter and up to 50 cm high. Plant weight up to 1 kg. Petioles are bright white, up to 35 cm long, up to 80% of the plant mass. The variety is relatively resistant to early stemming, to unfavorable weather conditions suitable for dense planting.
• Pava is a mid-season hybrid of Chinese and Chinese cabbage. Combines large leaves and wide, dense, crunchy petioles. The leaves are bright green, the petioles are white, fleshy, juicy, without fibers. Resistant to stalking, so the variety can be sown at any time. Plants are very decorative, well preserved after cutting.

Photo gallery: varieties of Chinese cabbage

Alyonushka is able to give two harvests per season Super-early Stonefly is suitable for open and protected ground Swallow is valued for juicy fleshy petioles

For cultivation in open ground in cold regions (in the Urals and in the south of Siberia) are recommended early ripe varieties in order to get two or more crops per season, almost unprecedented for these places. In non-hot summers and in cool climates, seeds can be planted throughout the growing season. In hot climates, it is better to choose flowering-resistant hybrids for planting.

Planting Chinese cabbage

The soil for the spring planting of this crop is prepared in the fall, choosing a place where any other cabbage did not grow in order to avoid common pests (you can sow on the beds freed after onions or garlic).

Before digging, humus is introduced (Asian cultures do not tolerate manure) - 1 bucket per 1 sq. meter, as well as 1 tbsp. a spoonful of superphosphate and potash fertilizers, if necessary, deoxidize with lime. In spring, the soil is dusted with ash to protect against the cruciferous flea, which can damage tender shoots.

To obtain seedlings and early production, the seeds are planted one at a time in separate pots with peat in mid-March. Seedlings are not dived (it has very delicate roots), but planted in the ground when 4-5 true leaves appear (in late April - early May).

Pak choi seedlings are transplanted to the garden when 4-5 true leaves appear.

Sowing directly into the ground is carried out in rows on elongated beds. They leave a free space between the rows of crops of 30–40 cm. A film or white agrospan is thrown over the beds. shoots from good seeds will appear about a week after landing. Thickened seedlings need to be thinned out, leaving about 20 cm between the shoots.

Chinese pak choi is a short daylight plant, it is better to plant it in early spring or at the end of summer, and when sown from May to June, it can throw an arrow and bloom. It is believed that best harvest gives late summer planting of Chinese cabbage. It is carried out at the end of July or at the beginning of August, then the plants will have time to ripen before frost.

Growing features

Even a novice gardener can grow Chinese cabbage, it is undemanding to care for. But it also has its own characteristics:

• Prefers loose soil because root system she has a superficial;
• it cannot be treated with chemicals, since it has a very short growing season;
• it is important to provide the plant with moisture, especially at the beginning of cultivation: abundant watering is needed, followed by shallow loosening of the soil, and sprinkling is useful in dry weather.
  

Sprinkling, in addition to the refreshing effect, gives bak choi additional protection against pests.

Harvest and storage

Chinese cabbage can be harvested as leafy vegetables, removing the stems as they mature. During continuous harvesting, the cabbage is pulled out with the root, which is then cut off. Pak-choi is placed in a cool place or cellar, sprinkled with wet sand for storage without loss of taste for up to two to three months. Chinese cabbage is stored in the east, having prepared kimchi from it - a national Korean and Chinese dish. It is known in Russia under the name "Korean cabbage".

Video: cooking from Chinese cabbage

Pak choy cabbage was originally distributed in South-East Asia, however, over time, its delicious taste was appreciated by the gourmets of European countries - in particular, in modern Holland this culture is grown all year round. It is unpretentious, characterized by cold resistance and amazing precocity, due to which any owner of a summer cottage is able to grow pak choi cabbage without much effort.

Among the varieties that are gaining popularity among modern gardeners, the following should be noted:

Gipro F1 - unpretentious productive variety resistant to frost, diseases and pests;

Ultra-early variety Swallow (the first harvest can be carried out 15 days after germination, with 7-10 leaves);

Early maturing variety Vesnyanka (collection of ripened leaves begins after 20-25 days).

Description of culture

The height of plants, depending on the variety, can vary from 30 to 60 cm. For culinary purposes, their aerial part is used, represented by a rosette of juicy dense leaves with wide median veins overlapping in a white elastic base. Taste qualities pak choi cabbage remotely resembles a cross between spinach, Chinese cabbage, chard and lettuce, from which this culture is distinguished by a richer, more versatile, fresh and tangy taste with a slight bitterness.

Although the plant is biennial, it is usually grown as an annual. In conditions temperate climate its seeds can be sown during the entire growing season.

According to its nutritional value, pak choy is very similar to white cabbage, but it is several times higher than it in the content of carotene, vitamins C and B9. The ripened fleshy part of the vegetable can be eaten both fresh and after cooking. It is an excellent dietary product recommended for salads, low-calorie side dishes for meat, soups and independent vegetable dishes with an exquisite taste.

Pak choi cabbage: growing and harvesting

Choice of landing site

This culture perfectly takes root on fertile neutral soils rich in humus and nutrients. acidic soils even in the fall, it is necessary to lime or add wood ash to the bed at the rate of 200 g per 1 sq.m. The introduction of special fertilizers before planting is not required, although some gardeners, for greater certainty, flavor the soil with compost at the rate of 5-8 liters per square meter. m.

When choosing a suitable site for growing Chinese pak choi, the factor of previous plantings must be taken into account. It should be remembered that the worst predecessors for this crop are all representatives of the Cabbage family, namely, such as savoy, white and red cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, etc. This fact is due to an increased risk of transmission of common diseases or damage by the same pests.

Sowing seeds and breeding seedlings

Seeds are recommended to be sown from April to August, although many experienced gardeners sowing in the middle of summer is considered more reliable. Unlike the early spring sowing in this case, flower arrows are tied less frequently.

In spring, pak choy seeds can be sown in pots or directly in open ground followed by insulation with a film or a special covering material that will protect young seedlings from frost and strong wind. If seedlings are grown in pots, they should be planted in a garden bed no later than 3-4 weeks after germination.

Before sowing, the earth is slightly compacted and pak-choi seeds are laid in grooves to a depth of 2-3 cm. After germination, young seedlings are thinned out.

This culture feels great at a temperature of + 15 ... + 20 ° С, however, many varieties tolerate light frosts (down to -5 ° С) well, being in open ground.

Sowing seeds and planting seedlings is carried out according to the scheme: 20-30 cm between plants and 25-35 cm between rows. Feeding area of ​​one seedling large variety is 30X30 cm. Copies of small varieties have enough nutrition area 20X20 and even 15X20 cm.

Further care and cultivation of pak choy cabbage does not require special efforts and involves the implementation of a number of the following procedures, namely such as:

Periodic careful loosening (in pak choi, the root system is close enough to the surface of the earth);

Timely watering (it is undesirable to flood the plants with water, but it is absolutely impossible to allow the soil to dry out). In August and September, the irrigation rate should be 15-20 liters per 1 sq.m of planted beds. More intensive watering is recommended in the rosette setting phase.

During the growing season, you will need one or two feedings with liquid herbal infusion or mullein infusion. It is especially important to feed young plants after prolonged rains.

Regular inspection for preventive purposes to detect pests and symptoms that indicate plant disease.

At an early spring planting pak choi cabbage seedlings often shoot, so it is advisable to cut the plants before flowering, while still young - to obtain a multiple crop of fresh greens.

The time period from planting to harvest is approximately 45-50 days. It is undesirable to keep the plants in the garden for more than 50 days, otherwise, in this case, the cabbage leaves will begin to become rough, lose their juiciness and piquant taste.

Chinese pak choi can be harvested at almost every stage of its development - from the appearance of seedlings to the formation of arrows with bright yellow flowers. Succulent leaves of plants can be cut already 3 weeks after the appearance of sprouts.

The grown young cabbage is cut at about 2-3 cm above the ground, adult plants are cut a little higher. Thanks to this technique, it will be possible to re-obtain an equally rich harvest. Juicy greens are not subject to long-term storage, so it is better to use it immediately after cutting.

And high nutritional properties many of our country began mass cultivation of this variety of cabbage. About secrets proper fit and caring for pak-choi, we will talk in the article.

Description of culture

Mid-season varieties include Lebedushka, Lastochka, Kholodok, Four Seasons, Memory of Popova. growing season mid-season varieties 50-55 days.

Did you know? in Asian countries with ok pak choi is used in cosmetics. It is an excellent skin rejuvenator.

bak choy not particularly demanding on the soil. It can grow even in an unfertilized area. But the best place for planting will be sandy loam or light loam. Soil acidity should range from 5.5 to 6.5 pH. The best predecessor– . Planting pak choy in a place where another variety grew last year is not recommended.

It is also undesirable to plant bok choy in one place for more than two years in a row.

How to plant pak choi in the country

Now we will understand the main question: how to grow pak choi at home? Growing begins with planting.

Planting and caring for seedlings

To grow seedlings, cabbage seeds are planted in peat cups in late March - mid April. Soil for seedlings can be mixed with humus for better seed germination.
After planting, water the seeds with water (cold watering is undesirable). Seedling pots are best placed in a sunny spot.

Every four to five days, the seeds should be watered with water, the temperature of which is not lower than 15ºС. After 15-20 days, when three leaves are formed on the seedlings, it needs to be sprinkled.

Pour a little earth under each sprout, then the plant quickly forms the fourth and fifth leaves. After five leaves are formed on the seedlings, it can be planted on a pre-prepared site along with cups.

In order for pak choi seedlings to take root faster, you need spray regularly with water(2-4 times a day; spraying should be carried out for 5-7 days).
It is best to plant cabbage in partial shade. Until the roots of the seedlings get stronger, the hot rays of the sun can harm her. Planting seedlings in the ground is best done in the evening or on a cloudy day.

The distance between the rows of cabbage should be 25-30 cm. Deepen into the soil until the first true leaves.

Growing features

Pak choi is suitable for growing in almost any type of soil. It does not require special and careful care. However, if some nuances are observed, the yield can be increased.

Watering and soil care

It is better to refrain from applying (because even if the cabbage adds in growth, it will lose its taste).

More about caring for pak choi

The culture is prone to the formation of arrows and flowering, so when growing, you need to take into account some biological features cabbage.
The processes of arrow formation and flowering are usually observed with a constant lengthening of daylight hours. To avoid this, some agronomists advise plant pak choi no earlier than July.

For better yields, the soil around the cabbage can be mulched with rich compost or grass clippings. So moisture will be better preserved (this is especially necessary during dry periods of summer).

Plant disease and pest control

Important!Pak choi is also used to control pests. wood ash and laundry soap, an infusion based on fresh tomato leaves and, a solution of acetic water,infusion liquid soap and dandelion root,infusion from garlic arrows and green.These solutions are suitable for both spraying and irrigation.

To combat the cruciferous flea, the use of an aqueous solution based on the drug is allowed. The drug is diluted in water according to the instructions and sprayed in the evening or morning.

hosts summer cottages already learned the taste of Beijing cabbage and began to grow it with pleasure, getting quite good yields. And here is another leafy cabbage from China - pak choi, not everyone knows yet. Its main advantage is rapid growth, it will take only a month and you can get the first harvest.

Separate leaves and petioles

By appearance pak choi cabbage is absolutely not like any other cabbage, but rather looks like a large leaf lettuce or leaf beet chard. In China, it is called Bai Tsai "white cabbage", and in Europe - mustard. Pak choi in a salad gives a pleasant bitterness (it tastes more like arugula salad), but when it is cooked, a slightly sweet aftertaste appears. The leaves and petioles of this cabbage are prepared in most cases separately. Petioles are mostly stewed or boiled, and the leaves are consumed fresh.

Pak choi does not grow the usual head, but creates an upright dense rosette of leaves about 35 cm in diameter, which is held on thick, closely spaced petioles. Pak choi cabbage leaves are corrugated and tender, from light salad to grayish tint.

Gardeners grow three types of this cabbage. In the first, the leaves are dark green in color, and the petioles are light white. The second variety has both petioles and leaves of a light green hue. The third has unusual red-violet leaves on top and green at the bottom of the leaf, and the petioles of this variety are green. Depending on the cultivated variety, the dimensions of the plants vary from low, 10 cm tall, to large, which grow up to 50 cm, pak choi, although it belongs to the cabbage family, is also classified as a salad crop.

The crop of this plant can be harvested at any time, because it is a stall-type crop. Basically, this plant can be harvested at the age of 35-50 days. But you can make the first salad from young leaves much earlier than this period. The grown rosettes are cut off 2-3 cm above the soil surface, and fully grown rosettes are slightly higher. On the remnants of the outlet, after a while, you can collect a few more crops of vitamin greens.

Benefits of bak choy

To some gardeners, pak choy may seem a bit rough, but it is good because when white cabbage planted in open ground, this culture can already be eaten. This plant is more cold-resistant than Beijing cabbage and is much better resistant to diseases.

Varieties

More than 10 varieties of this plant can be found in the retail network: Pagoda, Early Jane, Marie, China Express, China Crunch, Beauty of the East, Yuna, Four Seasons, Swan, Swallow, Vesnyanka, Alyonushka, Gipro, Richie, Prima, but best for landing choose hybrid varieties, which are resistant to "flowering".

Planting and aftercare

Pak choi is quite easy to grow. Of all cabbage crops, this plant is less demanding, and gives a rich harvest. This "Chinese woman", like her related plants, loves moisture and cool weather, responds well to top dressing. organic fertilizers, and humus, and does not tolerate the acidic reaction of the soil. But there are certain features of caring for this culture that must be considered if you want to get good harvest pak-choi in the country garden.

The secrets of success are simple:

1. Pak choy should be sown in early April or late August.
2. Plants growing during a long daylight hours shoot quickly and then bloom.
3. You can sow pak choi seeds directly in open ground, but it is better under a film cover, 3 seeds in each hole. You can get a good crop of pak choy by growing it in seedlings.
4. Seedlings ready for planting in the ground at the age of 3 weeks should have 4-5 leaves.
5. It is imperative to thin out the cabbage in the phase of 1-2 leaves, leaving the seedlings at a distance of about 15-20 cm, in this case the pak-choi rosettes will turn out to be large.

It makes no sense to sow many seeds at a time, the leaves of this plant coarsen in a short time. It is best to stretch the pleasure by sowing the seeds at intervals of 1 week, of course, if you like this plant.

Pests

Most Chinese cabbage sown in spring time cruciferous fleas harm. To reduce losses from this pest, it is desirable to protect crops with agrofibre. You can also scare him away by dusting the seedlings with tobacco dust or wood ash.