Description
Bok Choy / Cabbage is spoon-shaped kelly green leafy blades are supported by translucent and succulent white to pale green stalks that join at a common base above the root.The leaves are the most tender and mild part of the plant. The stalks are thin, tender firm and succulent with nuanced cabbage notes and sweet pea undertones.
Bok choy is available year-round.
Bok choy is a type of Chinese cabbage. There are two species of Chinese cabbage: the Chinensis and the Pekinensis. Bok choy is a member of the Chinensis family. Chinensis varieties do not form heads, rather they grow leafy blades much like celery and mustard. Other names for Bok choy include Pak choy and Joy choy. There are specific cultivars of Bok choy that make the most compelling case for being harvested at the baby stage. Those cultivars include Ching-Chiang and Mei Qing Choi. A common name for Baby Bok choy is Shanghai.
The acclaimed 16th century Chinese pharmacist Li Shizhen, wrote of the disease-fighting properties of bok choy in his renowned Compendium of Materia Medica, the most complete and comprehensive medical book ever written in the history of traditional Chinese medicine. This compendium in fact heralds the dawning of modern pharmacological studies. Bok choy contains high levels of glucosinolates, which are converted to isothiocyanates in our body. These compounds have been shown to be active in fighting cancer. Bok choy is also a very good source of several carotenoids, especially beta carotene. Beta carotene has been scientifically proven to act as a dietary antioxidant.
