Red Pak Choi, Rocket and Carrot Harvest

Posted on 01. Oct, 2011 by Tracey in Veg Plot

There has been good results and bad results with my Red Rubi Pak Choi. Good results in that it is a stunning vegetable to grow, very quick grower, has a nice crunch to it in stir-fries and doesn’t loose all its colour on cooking (by cooking I mean 2-3 minutes in a frying pan).

Red Pak Choi Leaves

I harvested the first batch of red pak choi last week however the remaining plants didn’t see the caterpillars coming, this pest has decimated the rest of my crop and ruined all the leaves.

By contrast, I sowed Rocket Esmee (from MoreVeg) in the other raised bed and I’m pleased to say there’s no caterpillers and you can definately tell by the sea of green lobed leaves of rocket and Kale – Fizz (from More Veg).

Home-Grown Rocket Vs Shop-Bought Rocket

In the past I would just buy a bag of salad from the supermarket with rocket included to add some bite, but shop bought rocket is mild compared to the strong peppery bite that comes from homegrown rocket. The home grown rocket, just keeps on growing as you cut it, I’ve been cutting a few leaves for the past 4 weeks and counting.

Rocket Esmee lobed leaves

Growing rocket is a brilliant way of having your own salad at home and an even better bonus is it lasts in the fridge about a week in a sealed container unlike the soggy rocket you usually find in the bag from the supermarket after a couple of days of opening it.

Also good news, Rocket can be grown in October to see your salad continue and harvesting will be in 3 – 4 weeks if growing the Esmee variety, it is a very quick grower.

Chantenay Carrots and Juliennes

I’m also harvesting Chantenay Carrots, they are short pointed baby carrots packed with flavour and are easy to grow especially in a container.

I like these carrots because they are so easy to cut into julienne’s (thin carrot slices) to add to salads, sandwiches or stir fries. I followed this video which shows you how to do it without cutting your fingers! it’s easy when you know how and only takes a few goes at getting it right.