A CHINESE VEGETABLE POTPOURRI - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 99

For roots. To harvest the roots, dig deeply with a spading fork until a gentle tug frees
the loosened root. If you've succeeded in growing extra-long roots, you may have to
dig a trench next to them to get at them. Roots 2 to 3 feet long are the most manageable,
so aim for that size.
If you leave the plant undisturbed and don't harvest the root, burdock will die down
over the winter and come up again each season. There isn't much point to letting it do
this as the roots are best the first year. Treat it like an annual and plant from seeds each
season.
Varieties
There are two species: Arctium lappa and A. minus . The one you find growing wild
throughout much of the United States is the smaller A. minus; it is hardly comparable to
the aristocratic, cultivated A. lappa . Don't buy any seeds other than A. lappa . The most
popular variety is 'Takinogawa Long'. 'Watanabe' is a shorter variety for those with
clay or shallow soil. You may need to look under “gobo” as well as under “burdock” to
find seeds.
DID YOU KNOW?
Wild American burdock, which can be a nuisance weed, is very bitter. Although, like the Chinese veget-
able Arctium lappa , the wild burdock is edible, it must be parboiled to remove the bitterness.
CULINARY USES
Burdock is enjoyed as a vegetable in many countries, but it reaches its culinary peak in
Japan and China. While the young leaves and stems are edible — prepared like spin-
ach and asparagus, respectively — the most important part of the plant is the long,
slender root. The flavor of burdock varies somewhat, depending on the conditions un-
der which it's grown and when the root is harvested. To me, the flavor is sweetly pun-
gent and agreeable. The texture is crisp when raw and retains this quality if used in
stir-fry dishes. Unlike wild American burdock, burdock can be cooked along with car-
rots and other root vegetables to make a richly flavored stew.
YOUNG ROOTS, RAW . When very young, the roots can be gathered, peeled, and eaten
out of hand like a radish, perhaps with a salt shaker handy.