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I was wondering about the Tatsoi. A lot f the catalogs say it is similar to spinach. Is it? Or does it have it's own character?
Thanks for the recipes. Asian veggies did not sell well at our fall festival so we overgrew. Mainly Red and White Chois and cabbage. Your recipe will come in handy.
What can you tell us about the large Korean type radishes. A guy at work gave me a couple to plant but he said they really, really stink when you cut them.
BB, there are several foods that stink when you cut them, although I've not eaten a Korean radish. Most fruits and vegetables with this odor can be cut outside or in a ventilated area and then the smell dissipates after cutting. They used to cut Durian on my street. It stunk to high heaven for about an hour then it was fine. The taste was worth it! I suggest growing a few out yourself as a trial. If you are market growing and have the space and time, I do suggest that every year. Grow a few yourself and see if you like it, if the growth habits are worth your time, resources and space in the future. Try to fix it in several ways and then offer the information to your customers. They will really value that extra special personal touch and your care in quality and taste. I think it will help to make some vegetables more popular at your stand.
Had I known you were overstocked, I would have come and taken some veg off your hands, lol.
Tatsoi is unlike spinach in many ways. It is only like spinach in the leaf color and the fact that it has slight savoy which some spinach do. It has more cabbagey taste, and "melts" more like an asian veg than spinach does when hot. It is really delicious. And it is pretty.
To me tatsoi tastes like a mild form of mustard or turnip greens -- it has that little extra bite. I like it a lot and have grown it. One of the most cool weather tolerant greens that I have tasted and if you can find the right clientele I am sure you can sell it.
It has taken me a while to learn to eat the more bitter of the Asian greens, but I have now come to enjoy them. I am sure others are moving along the same path because these greens are far easier to grow than spinach and far tastier.
As for the Daikon and Korean radishes, the ones I buy in my local supermarket and the Asian market 100 miles from here, do not stink. They have a slight fragrance of dirty shoes when first cut but you have to hold the vegetable to you nose to notice that smell. Once they are sliced and marinated you would never guess that they had a funny smell. In fact, I have often served them sliced thin on a veggie platter with dips. People eat them and ask me what they are. They do not complain about taste or smell but appreciate the healthy radish slices to dip with. They are similar to a turnip but have a far milder flavor -- practically no flavor at all.
As for growing daikon radishes, I would like to know how to raise them so they aren't hot. The ones in the store are very mild and quite large, but mine are very, very spicy -- spicer than I like. There must be a trick to growing them so they are mild. I would appreciate learning that trick if anyone knows it.
