Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
1
THE CHINESE GREENS
Generally speaking, “greens” means vegetable leaves
that are eaten cooked as opposed
to “leafy greens,” such as lettuces, that are primarily eaten raw. The dividing line is
purely arbitrary and not at all consistent. For example, spinach was once considered ed-
ible only when cooked, until some brave soul nibbled on a raw leaf and found it good.
On the other hand, Belgian endive (normally a raw salad vegetable in the United States)
is excellent braised, and escarole cooked in the Italian fashion with a little olive oil is
almost better than raw.
Traditional “greens” in the United States include kale, collards, Swiss chard, dandeli-
ons, and mustard greens. In the old days, they were welcomed in the spring after a winter
that was barren of fresh vegetables; they could be sown and harvested before almost any
other crop. Their taste was usually slightly bitter, and this had a tonic effect on winter-
weary appetites.
Now, vitamin-rich greens are available year round. In addition to old favorites, you
can grow and enjoy the greens of Asia: amaranth, Chinese mustard, mizuna, and garland
chrysanthemum. They are easy to grow and take up very little space. They thrive in both
vegetable and flower gardens, are low in calories and worth their weight in nutrition, and
are deliciously different from the more familiar greens.
Vegetable Amaranth
X
IAN
C
AI
, E
EN
C
HOY
Amaranthus tricolor
(leaf), also
A. hypochondriacus
(seeds) (color photo, page ix)
Amaranth is an ancient vegetable grown in many parts of the world.
Amaranthus tricolor
also goes by the names Chinese spinach, edible amaranth, hiyu, and callaloo. It's better
known in the United States as an ornamental plant than as a vegetable. With brilliantly
colored leaves and bright clusters of small flowers that bloom for many months, it's
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