June 20, 2011

Bringing Home Baby... Bok Choy

              I’ve seen it several times before. More often than not it is nestled nonchalantly among the other vegetables in my Chinese take-out food container or hidden under cubes of tofu in my Thai pho soup. And yet, while I can easily identify bok choy and enjoy eating it, I must admit that it is not a staple vegetable you would find in my own kitchen. In fact, it has been an item I’ve tended to pass by all together while at the grocery story. 
             Since joining the Ethno-Cultural Vegetable Ontario (ECV) research team as an Undergraduate Research Assistance I’ve started to notice bok choy everywhere! Thanks largely to the demand generated by Chinese Canadians, the largest and fastest growing population of newcomers to Canada, this leafy Brassica rapa subspecies is becoming increasingly accessible to the average Canadian consumer. Consequently, others have begun to take note of this oriental green. Bok choy has gained the attention of health enthusiasts as a lower calorie vegetable rich in beta-carotene and vitamins A, C and K. In fact, in 2009 the Centre for Science in the Public Interest named bok choy a nutritional ‘Superstar’ in its ranking of vegetables commonly consumed in North America.[1] Recognizing the demand for this nutritious, highly-demanded ethno-cultural vegetable, Canadian producers and retailers have begun to take steps towards making bok choy more readily and locally available.
            While not traditionally cultivated in North America, Asian immigration has helped to facilitate increased production of bok choy on Canadian soil. Canadians of Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese backgrounds have historically been the primary Canadian producers of oriental greens such as bok choy, though producers of non-Asian decent are slowly realizing the crop’s marketing opportunities.[2] With many cool season varieties of bok choy seed becoming increasingly available in Canada some Canadian vegetable producers, particularly smaller scale farms, have begun to include bok choy in their crop rotations as a method of season extension. Similarly, Canadian food retailers have caught on to the significant demand for Asian greens and have slowly begun to make these products available in ‘mainstream’ grocery stores.[3] Having noticed that bok choy is regularly available in my local grocery store I did something last week that I’ve never done… I decided to bring it home.
            Standing in front of the produce section I surveyed my options. Shanghai bok choy, pak choy, joi choi – which one should I pick? And what on earth do I do with it once I’ve bought it? These same questions often prevent us from reaching for unfamiliar produce when rushing through the grocery store. Yet, armed with a resolution to taste global and faith in the wondrous resource that is the internet, I set my mind to trying something new. I grabbed what I deemed to be the least intimidating member of my grocery’s oriental greens selection: baby bok choy. After all, how hard could it really be to find a use for such an unimposing veggie?! Wrapping the small white bulb and its dark green leaves in a bag, I headed resolutely to the check out.
              I’m pleased to report that my first baby bok choy purchase made an excellent addition to my stir-fry that evening. It's hard to find a down side to adding a vegetable to my diet that both increases my appreciation for new foods and improves my health. Quick to prepare and easy to incorporate into soups, salads and stir-fries -  I’m out of excuses as to why not to include bok choy in my basket on my next shopping trip!   

Stacie Irwin - Undergraduate Research Assistant, ECVOntario team 2011                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

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