Cabbage, Collards and Romaine Lettuce

[JimWWhite]

Well, after Friday morning's 21*F here in central NC I thought for sure we'd have to restart our lettuce, cabbage and collards that we'd put out just last weekend. But we covered them up and there's a little burning of the Chinese cabbage's lower leaves but they look like they may be OK. I'm hoping.

We had put these out in 4'x8'x12" boxes and there are about 60 plants per box. There are 4 boxes that we'd planted. I got the bright idea of taking some 2"x4" welded wire that I had pieces of in the shed and over behind the garden and I cut them to about 5' lengths so that when they were placed in the bed they'd bow up like a hoop tunnel. We laid these on the big picnic table on the patio and with some white landscaping fabric we covered the wire frames with the fabric and duct taped it in place and then put them over the beds. It was really pretty windy Thursday night and into Friday morning and I just knew the wind would blow them away. But when I checked on them in the morning the covers were still in place. When I got home I pulled off some of the covers and things looked pretty good.

We're expecting lows in the mid to upper 30's this week so I'm not too concerned. I'll watch the local weather forecast and if it looks like it's get frosty or worse I'll cover them back up. Hopefully things will recover and we'll have an early crop. I'm looking forward to making a bunch of sauerkraut and kimchi later this spring. We've got some great recipes for the kimchi and we want to try several of them.

 

[thistlebloom]

Sounds like you've got a great start on the season. It's been a cold spring for a lot of folks, glad your babies survived that freeze.

 

[MontyJ]

Good to hear Jim! NC isn't catching a break this spring either. Amazing what a bit of homemade inginuity can do

 

[897tgigvib]

It probably wouldn't hurt to cover them on the 40 degree nights too.

 

[digitS']

Jim, I find Chinese cabbage a kind of difficult crop. If I start it in the hoop house and leave it there, it does okay. When summer arrives, the plastic film comes off and it has made enough progress that it forms a nice head. If I take small starts out to the open garden or sow seed out there - it gets confused-looking and all but gives up!

I think that this is not the climate for Chinese cabbage but I grow lots of bok choy.

Do your kimchi recipes say anything about bok choy?

Steve

 

[baymule]

It is going to drop in the low 30's here tonight and tomorrow night. We have garden ghosties-all wrapped up in bed sheets! Glad your's came through the freeze ok!

 

[897tgigvib]

The coldest it's been here in 2 weeks is 35.2

That is strange, even for here. I think we are done with frosts here.

 

[JimWWhite]

Jim, I find Chinese cabbage a kind of difficult crop. If I start it in the hoop house and leave it there, it does okay. When summer arrives, the plastic film comes off and it has made enough progress that it forms a nice head. If I take small starts out to the open garden or sow seed out there - it gets confused-looking and all but gives up!

I think that this is not the climate for Chinese cabbage but I grow lots of bok choy.

Do your kimchi recipes say anything about bok choy?

Steve

Last year we put in half of a 4'x8'x12" box of Chinese cabbage along with the other half of brocolli and we got a great crop from both. I don't keep records very well but I do believe I had them in the boxes by this past week last year too. They headed up really well and we gave a lot of it away and made regular sauerkraut from both the Chinese and Dutch cabbages. This year I want to try at least three different kinds of kimchi: One spicy with red chili paste and garlic, one with kelp and chili paste, and still another just for me with anchovies. Yeah, I know. I get that same snarly look from the waitress down at the pizza joint when I order an anchovy pizza. But what the hey, you don't ever have to share an anchovy pizza with nobody...

But I'd bet bok choy would be a good thing to use too. Maybe chopped up and added to the Chinese cabbage. They say there's at least 100 times more ways to make kimchi as there are ways to spell it. From what I've read it's one of those things the Koreans kind of have that is handed down from generation to generation and there's no fixed standard version of it.

 

[digitS']

Kelp!

Oh yeah, the anchovies . . . I wonder if the same people who can't stand anchovy pizza are the ones that hate the fish sauce . . .

I was the kid with the bowl of seaweed soup at the Chinese restaurant at lunchtime. It got so that they were curious about me there, too. My problem with it was that it was a little too salty and I really couldn't eat very much. They may have put fish sauce in it . . .

digitS'
who had seafood kimchi noodles for lunch . . . comes in a package but i added broccoli & an egg . . . i only use one-half the seasoning

 

[897tgigvib]

Jim White, I used to live in Korea.

There are 2 basic kinds of Kimchi.

Summer Kimchi
Winter Kimchi

The summer kind is based on cabbage or leafy cabbage type crops.
The winter kind is based on beets, and is red.

Each family has their own recipe for both basic kinds. Both are fermented in buried clay pots. Each household will emphatically tell you that theirs is the best, and their language includes an almost growling sound that to americans sounds like contempt, when they describe the taste or texture of someone elses kimchi, though they may admit on rare occasion that some other individual family's is pretty good too. You see, Kimchi in korea is a major source of family and local pride. I do actually wonder if their is a kimchi connection in the north south dispute there, some historical connection to the cause...

So, to say there are hundreds of recipes for kimchi is an understatement. It is probably more like 10 million recipes for it, actually, and not exagerrated.

I really enjoyed Hleuyeung Ylyee No's summer and winter Kimchis the most. (Yes, I can pronounce her name perfectly. Spelling it's another story.) Her summer kimchi is less burning and has a mild subtle multiple flavored spiciness, and is beautiful with white ribbed stems and green in the juiciness with other things in it including some large round seeds. The pickling flavor is real great! I'm guessing it is pickled and buried for less time than some others. Her winter kimchi on the other hand will clear your sinuses! Orangish red with her father's own extra long, skinny, and almost dried peppers. Other families dry their peppers to dust. Proudly in front of their homes. She understood well how hot her winter kimchi is, and is used as a dip, served in a tiny bowl. don't dip the rice in it though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Her rice is eaten plain! Best rice in the world! Absolutely fresh harvested and winnowed. gawd i wish i took some photos of her doing that. some true national geographic moments...only in my memory, but that's a good place too, just harder to share.