Pak Choi, Bok Choi 'F1 Rubi'

Pak Choi 'Rubi' is quite simply, a little star. Very quick to crop, easy to grow and slow to bolt. This purple/red leaved variety with bright green stems looks as attractive in the garden as on a plate. Perfect for adding colour to baby leaf mixes, it be used as a babyleaf veg or as whole head shredded leaves in stir-fries.

Pak Choi 'Rubi' F1 can be harvested in three to six weeks and can be treated as a 'cut and come again' crop; harvesting a few leaves at a time. Alternatively the whole head can be lifted entirely and cut 2.5cm above ground level and left to re-sprout.

The flavour is sweet with a hint of mustard. It is used to enhance everything from soups to stir-fries and can be eaten young in salads or left to mature. Pak choi goes well with the flavours of soy sauce, hot peppers, and toasted sesame oil. It is used in Won Ton Soup and Chow Mein. Young flowering stems can be used like broccoli or as a substitute for spinach.

Position:
Pak Choi grows best in a sunny position in a fertile soil.
It can be sown directly into open ground or can be planted into grow bags

Sowing:
Can be grown all year
Pak choi is a cool-season crop typically grown in autumn and early winter, though in warmer climates harvest can continue well into winter. It will germinate at temperatures between 13 to 24°C (55 to 70°F).
These green stemmed varieties withstand adverse conditions than white stemmed forms. Some protection is required for winter harvesting. Phasing the sowing will extend the cropping period.

Sow thinly, direct into finely raked, moist, weed free soil 6mm (0.25") deep in rows 30cm (12") apart. Thin the resulting seedlings, leaving the strongest, by degrees to a final spacing of 20cm (8") apart.

Tending:
It is important to water well in dry weather and to keep well weeded. Provide a weak liquid feed once a week.
It needs to be grown quickly and the roots must be kept moist. Checks to growth, brought on by overcrowding or drought, will cause plants to bolt. They are snail magnets, so plants need protection in the open garden.

Harvesting:
Plants reach a stage for ’baby leaf’ harvest in 28 days and mature plants take around 50 days. Chop off enough of the base of the bok choy plant before washing so that stalks can be cleaned individually.

Storage:
Pak choi generally keeps well and will stay fresh for more than a week, but should be used in four to five days for best flavour.

Culinary Use:
Pak choi stalks can be consumed raw, or cooked. It has a high water content and becomes limp very quickly so should be cooked very quickly over high temperature so that the leaves become tender and the stalks stay crisp.
In Chinese stir-fried dishes and soups, it is added toward the end of the cooking process. Since the leaves cook much more quickly than the stalks, it’s a good idea to add the stalks first and then the leaves about a minute later. Cut the stalks into 1/2-inch (1.25cm) pieces before cooking.