Chinese Vegetables

WHAT ARE CHINESE VEGETABLES?

Chinese vegetables are vegetables that are associated with oriental cooking. The most popular Chinese greens are bok choy, choy sum, gai choy, sui choy and gai lan. Others include Chinese cabbage, daikon and lotus root. Bok choy is also called Chinese chard. The most common type has thick white stalks with large, dark green, oval-shaped leaves. Chinese cabbage has a long thin, firm head of leaves. The outer leaves are pale green and the inner leaves are almost white with a thick mid-rib. Daikon are also called Chinese turnips or Japanese radish. This is a spherical, oblong or cylindrical root which is available all year. Lotus root resembles flowers when sliced.

WHERE ARE CHINESE VEGETABLES PRODUCED IN BC?

Chinese vegetables are grown predominantly in the Lower Mainland.

HOW MANY CHINESE VEGETABLES DO WE PRODUCE?

BC produces 1.5 million kilograms of Chinese vegetables.

HOW ARE CHINESE VEGETABLES PRODUCED?

Seedlings are started early in the year in greenhouse and are transplanted outdoors when the weather is more favourable. After the first planting, crops are seeded in consecutive plantings so that there is a steady supply of produce throughout the growing season. All Chinese vegetables are harvested by hand into cartons and each producer is responsible for finding a buyer and for trucking the produce to the buyer's workplace.

WHAT DO CHINESE VEGETABLES LOOK LIKE WHEN I USE IT?

Chinese vegetables are used in a variety of oriental dishes. You might eat these vegetables in chop suey or in a stir fry.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE CHINESE VEGETABLES LEAVE THE FARM?

Chinese vegetables are marketed through specialty stores and restaurants. They are more common now in supermarkets than they were a few years ago.

WHAT CHALLENGES DO CHINESE VEGETABLE PRODUCERS FACE?

Most specialty crops cannot be harvested by machine. The producer must make sure that there will be adequate labour available so the crop can be gathered, packed and sent to market quickly.

WHO'S INVOLVED IN PRODUCING CHINESE VEGETABLES?

• Vegetable growers
• Field workers
• Agri-business suppliers
• Financiers

Interesting Fact About Chinese Vegetables:

Reported to have been cultivated since 500 BC, Chinese greens have made a tremendous contribution to Asian diets, augmenting their otherwise meagre food supply with a rich source of vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Contacts and other resources:

 

BC Lower Mainland Farmers' Co-operative Association

BCMAL - Field Vegetable Information

Cloverdale Lettuce and Vegetable Co-op

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