What It Takes to Plant Some Bok Choy

This morning I decided the bok choy and choy sum had to get into the ground. But the spot that I wanted them to go into was filled with a lot of scallions. In other years I've used them up much earlier as I would make things like Peking raviolis (the Bostonian name for a gyoza). I no longer eat soy sauce and to me the ginger soy sauce is what makes a gyoza, without it, I was no longer inspired to make them. So my scallions sat there all summer long. Occasionally one or two would be used up. Mostly they just were happy forming bunches and getting bigger as they tend to do. I picked all the ones in the middle and left the ones on the sides. I even moved a few to another location in the garden.

Whole Wheat Scallion Pancake missing a bite - I was hungry

That morning I still hadn't gotten around to planting my seed. The scallions were calling me. What do you do with a couple of pounds of scallions? I figured scallion pancakes were in order. I'd never made them myself before. Sadly one serving, which is all I made, only uses a quarter of a cup of scallions and only the green part. I really have my work cut out for me trying to use those up. I'd make a scallion soup, kind of like a leek and potato soup, but I can't eat potatoes either. I'll eventually figure out what to pair with it. Worse comes to worse, I'll caramelize them a bit and toss them on a pizza.

Stomach full I went out to survey my spot. I cleaned it up and added a bit of fertilizer. Then I tried to find some netting. I couldn't find any that had been used before in the shed. I didn't want to cut a new bit just to keep the butterflies off for a couple of months.

Beautiful kale losing its light at the end of the row even at midday

So I liberated what I had protecting my kale. I don't like to keep the cover on the kale for very long. The aphids like to take it over too much in the fall. I need to let the good bugs in as much as possible. I was going to wait for a week or two more to let the plants get a bit stronger before risking caterpillars. Usually my kale isn't bothered that much by the caterpillars, but one year they ate the seedlings down to nubs, so now while they are seedlings they get a bit of protection.

Finally my bok choy was planted. I alternated rows of bok choy and choy sum. The choy sum won't be in as long I think. So it will free up some elbow room when it gets pulled.

I really like the view of it through the holes of foliage that I cut down on Sunday (though some gardener really ought to close her shed). It was a really beautiful day. Usually I have to wait for late afternoon to admire the light on the garden. But I guess the sun is now low enough in the sky now for it to be lovely even at high noon.