Harvest Monday, October 21, 2013 + Trombonino Squash & “A” Choy Update + Importance of Proper Spacing

Decided it was time to bring in all my tromboncino squashes. Night time temp is dropping to the 30’s, even though there are still a few baby squashes on the plant, I doubt they will get large enough to be bothered with. Pulling up the plant and cleaning the area this week.

Tromboncino Squashes

The squash with the tape measure is a mature one (passed the nail test). It is 39 inches long and weighs 12¾ pounds. I imagine it would taste like a winter squash.

The two immature ones were sliced, lengthwise, tossed with a bit of oil, salt and pepper.

They were baked at 400º F until tender and lightly browned.
Packaged cooled baked squash in freezer bag, date, label and freeze for future use. May make a lasagna, will see.

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“A” choy (Taiwanese lettuce) I planted around mid-August are doing very well, the ones in the garden as well as the ones in container. They are disease resistant and insects leave them alone.

“A” Choy in round 9-inch Pot

“A” Choy in Window Box

Because of its upright growth habit, “A” choy is good for growing in small garden and for growing in container. In the round 9-inch pot, there are 4 plants, all doing well. In the window box, there are 8 plants, 4 at each end and a radicchio in the middle, all are doing well also.

Both the leaves and stem of the “A” choy are used. I use the very young leaves in salad and stir fry the mature leaves and stems (peel stems if they are not tender) in a bit of oil with garlic, ginger, shallots and S&P to taste. Oyster sauce also goes well. Use as a veggie side dish or add to soup like you would bok choy.

I also like to separate the leaves and stems. Stir-fry the leaves alone. Combine the stems with other veggies and tofu, meat, poultry or seafood. The stem is crunchy and mild.

The mature “A” choy leaves have a slight bitter taste (similar to broccoli rabe). Blanching will eliminate or reduce the bitter taste. The stem has no bitter taste.

Forgot to take photo of the finished dish. Still have “A” choy in the fridge so will remake the dish and post photo and recipe in a later  post.

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Bok Choy
Cabbage worms favorite veggie

The above is a bok choy from my garden. You cannot see the cabbage worms but they are there, quite a few of them.

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Wanting to know, given the same growing environment, what impact would spacing have on container grown plants.

I planted Shanghai bok choy and gai lan (Chinese broccoli) in 29-inch window boxes (2 boxes for each variety). Had 12 plants in each of the 4 boxes. When they reached about 5 inches, I thinned out 6 of the Shanghai bok choy from one of the boxes and did the same with the gai lan (the thinning were tender and delicious). The results, as you can see from the 2 photos below, are amazing.

I have since thinned the overcrowded boxes.

Shanghai Bok Choy
The plant on the left was given more space (1 of 6 in the box)
The one on the right was given less space (1 of 12 in the box)

Instead of pulling up the whole plant, I harvest the outer leaves of each plant, allowing the remaining plants to continue to grow from the inside out (I did pull up one of the 6 plants for the photo).

Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)
Flower buds are small, should have waited a few more days before harvesting
The plant on the left was given more space (1 of 6 in the box)
The one on the right was given less space (1 of 12 in the box)

I cut just below the tender part of the stem. Side shoots will grow at the base of the remaining leaves. The side shoots will not be as large but still tender and tasty.

With winter approaching, not sure how long the harvest will last. Will keep you posted.

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