Bok choy, an Asian vegetable, is a member of the cabbage family. Filled with nutrients, the plant’s wide leaves and tender stems add flavor to stir fry, salad, and steamed dishes. Choose the smaller plants when harvesting bok choy. They have a smoother, less acidic flavor and work best for fresh recipes. The time when to pick bok choy will depend on the variety. There are two ways to harvest bok choy, which depend on the time of year and what use you have for the vegetable.

Bok Choy Seed Harvest
Bok choy is a cool season vegetable like all the cruciforms. However, it is more tolerant of extremes than common cabbage. You can sow in spring or late summer for a fall harvest. Bok choy requires partial shade to prevent bolting. If you allow the plant to bolt, it will form flowers and seed, providing a bok choy seed harvest. The seed is housed in pods that you take when the husks turn brown and dry. This signals the seed is ready. Store seed in a cool, dry place until it’s time to sow them.
Growing Bok Choy
Sow seeds in early spring or late summer. Bok choy requires nutrient rich, well-drained soil. The thick stems are juicy and sweet and need plenty of water to grow. Remove competitive weeds and till soil gently around the plants to increase oxygen levels for healthy root growth. Bok choy’s wide leaves are a target for foliage munching pests like snails and slugs. Use an organic slug bait to prevent holes and extensive damage to the plant. Harvesting bok choy plants that have been protected will ensure beautiful, blemish free leaves filled with flavor and healthful benefits.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Bok Choy Harvesting – Learn When And How To Harvest Bok Choy https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/bok-choy/bok-choy-harvesting.htm

RECIPES

​Restorative Chicken Soup with Ginger & Bok Choy

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It's wintery cold outside and there's nothing better than a pot of steamy chicken soup to fill your home with the aroma of comfort and help ward off the sniffles and flu. 

Ingredients
Ingredient Checklist

• 1 whole chicken (4 1/2 pounds), cut into 8 pieces with the backbone, plus 8 extra wings (1 1/2 pounds)
• 4 large sprigs parsley
• 2 large sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, plus freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
• 1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds (1 cup)
• 1/2 stalk celery, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (1/2 cup)
• One 2-inch piece ginger, sliced into matchsticks
• 5 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 heads baby bok choy, thinly sliced

Directions

• Step 1     Fill a large pot with 14 cups water, chicken pieces, backbone, wings, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. Skim foam, reduce heat, and gently simmer for 25 minutes. Remove chicken (except wings); continue simmering while you discard skin and remove meat from bones. Cover meat and refrigerate; return bones to pot and simmer 3 1/2 hours more.
• Step 2    Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve and discard solids, including bones and wings. Skim fat and transfer broth to a clean pot. Add onions, carrots, celery, ginger, mushrooms, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, 25 minutes. In the last 3 minutes of cooking, stir in in the bok choy.
• Step 3    Cut or tear reserved chicken into 3 cups of bite-size pieces. (You'll end up with an extra cup of meat; save it for a salad or a sandwich.) Add to broth, along with cayenne and lemon juice. Heat through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; serve.

Cook's NotesThe chicken and broth can be made up to 3 days in advance. Refrigerate separately in covered containers, then proceed to finish the soup. If making ahead, refrigerate the broth at least overnight to allow the fat to accumulate at the top, then lift off with a spoon before proceeding.

MORE BOK CHOY RECIPES:
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