Exploring Asian Vegetables
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More tasty and nutritious Asian vegetable favorites are showing up in supermarkets and farmers markets nationwide every spring. If you have relegated these tasty veggies to the category of tasty exotics mostly encountered in restaurants, you’ll find adding easy to grow Asian vegetables to your garden will make them part of delicious everyday cooking. We import the best varieties of seed for these Asian specialties from where they've grow best in their countries of origin and you'll find growing many of them especially suited to the cool conditions of the early spring garden. Besides being versatile and quick to mature, Asian vegetables offer rich colors, graceful forms and mouth pleasing textures. You can use them not only in traditional stir fries, but also in soups, pickles, sautés, braises, wraps for fillings, and as welcome early salad greens. All of these specialties have the added advantage of being chock full of naturally occurring vitamin C, calcium and beta carotene. They are also excellent sources of essential minerals and high in dietary fiber, so there are enormous health benefits to enjoying them frequently.
 Our top-quality mini Napa or "Chinese" cabbage has juicy, tangy-sweet flesh and a delicious cool and crispy texture. Extremely vigorous, with excellent disease resistance, Little Jade plants form dense, vase-shaped 8 to 10 inch heads. Enjoy the versatile and nutritious crunchy stalks as a snack, with dips or in coleslaw. Stir-fry for everyday meals; sauté quickly with garlic and ginger and add a handful of toasted peanuts or cashews and a splash of hot sauce. Or consider making your own kimchi!Chinese Suyo Long Cucumber  Our certified organic Asian heirloom cucumber produces lots of long, slender and ribbed, burpless deep green cukes with a fine delicate flavor and crispy texture that cucumber lovers will treasure. Our certified organic thin-skinned with crisp, mild, juicy flesh, these burpless cucumbers never need peeling. Long, perfectly straight fruits on vigorous vines that produce right until frost.
Edamame – Edible Soybeans, Fresh Soybeans  |
Renee's Garden Seed Vegetables: Herbs: Basil, Thai, Queenette Chinese Chives (also called Garlic Chives) Cilantro Cilantro, Vietnamese, Bac Lieu
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Our mixed seed packet offers an easy way to grow the three best varieties of hybrid Asian eggplants. Their glossy, tender skins enclose succulent, creamy-smooth flesh, that is never bitter and easy to quickly slice and cook. These beauties are borne in abundance with multiple clusters of slender, elongated fruits on well-branched, extra-early plants. Seeds are color coded with USDA food grade stain to distinguish varieties; make sure to plant some of each.
A delicious and beautiful Asian green grows quickly and easily in both spring and fall. Rosette Tatsoi speedily forms round flat rosettes of rich green, teardrop shaped leaves. At maturity, the big heads measure a foot in diameter. Tatsoi’s tender, succulent leaves have a wonderful mild flavor, sweeter than most other Asian greens. Tatsoi adds both color and flavor to fresh green salads or enjoy it in stir-fries. This vitamin and anti-oxidant rich powerhouse is a great ornamental edible.
Our balanced blend of four easy to grow mild mustards. Each has a different shape and texture, from upright and smooth to crinkly and curly, all with succulent and delicious green leaves. This highly nutritious cool-season mix can be harvested throughout spring/early summer and then planted again for fall meals. Cut for salad or harvest the fast growing leaves when more mature to stir-fry or steam and finish with a splash of rice vinegar or hot sauce. Equal Parts Mustards: Tender Green, Florida Broadleaf, Southern Giant and Mizuna.
If you enjoy both crispy salads and Asian flavors, you will love this baby salad mix with a full array of colors, shapes and textures. Harvest effortlessly with scissors at just 4 to 6 inches tall for a delicious fresh salad blend that includes Komatsuna, Mizuna, Mustard (mild Green and Red), Rocket, Tatsoi and Chinese Cabbage. This mix of tender baby leaves makes a surprisingly mild and balanced salad bowl. Cut often for tasty fresh salads as pretty as a picture.
The tender green tops and long white shafts of Parade have a mild but zesty flavor and crisp texture. These juicy scallions stand erect in the garden for easy harvesting and don't take up much space, so you can pull as needed for a gentle onion flavor in salads and everyday cooking. Carefree and quick to grow to a useful size, Parade thrives in wide variety of soils and conditions. Plant for both spring and fall harvests.
Pak Choi has 6 to 8 inch tall green vase shaped heads with broad, pale green crunchy leaf stalks that contrast handsomely with their dark green leaves. The heads grow multiple stalks that form an urn shape. Pak Choi has a slightly sweet, very mild cabbage flavor and very juicy stalks. Separate and chop both stalks and leaves to use. Besides, stir-frying with scallions, fresh ginger and garlic, then finishing with soy or Thai peanut sauce, I enjoy the leafy stalks in chicken soup or as a quick sauté with snow pea pods and red sweet pepper and carrots. When you thin the plants to their final spacing, the young thinnings with just 4 to 6 tender leaves are particularly tender and tasty. The remaining heads quickly grow into full heads making this great spring crop one of my favorites for extended continuous harvesting in the garden. Cook all baby Pak Choi very simply to enjoy their tenderness. I sometimes steam or sauté the heads whole just until tender crisp as a side dish with broiled ham steak, roasted pork or chicken. Or you can stuff the little vase shaped heads like you would an artichoke and steam them in chicken broth.
Smooth and uniform in shape, top-quality Crimson Crunch is an extra-fancy, globe-shaped radish with a brilliant cherry red outside and fine-textured, snow white flesh. Carefully bred to be quick growing and vigorous, Crimson Crunch has an excellent crispy texture in a wide variety of soil conditions. Roots keep their vivid color and mild flavor without getting hot tasting or spongy textured. One of the kitchen garden’s fastest-growing treats, Crimson Crunch adds zest to salads, garnishes and appetizers.
This striking Asian heirloom, a.k.a. “Beauty Heart” in Chinese, produces large, 2 to 4 inch roots with pale green exteriors and rich rose-red crunchy flesh the same color as a perfectly ripe watermelon. The sweet, mild to just slightly peppery flesh is perfect to shred into salads for gorgeous color and flavor or slice thin for colorful snacks or eye catching dip holders. Harvested roots keep well stored in the fridge. Plant at midsummer; taste is sweeter in cold weather.
Grow an appetizing stir-fry with our Pan-Pacific Blend of all the flavors, colors and textures you need for quick cooking – or snip some baby leaves for crunchy early salads. Contains equal parts tangy, rich-hued Red Mustard; Mizspoona, a new cross between tasty-sweet Mizuna and rich-flavored Tatsoi; succulent white-stemmed Pac Choi and handsome Asian Red Kale. These highly nutritious, crispy greens grow quickly and evenly. Harvest with scissors while you heat up the wok for fast stir-fries of well-balanced fresh flavors. Equal parts: Red Mustard, Mizspoona, Pac Choi, Asian Red Kale
Oregon Giant bears huge yields of sweet, exceptionally large, 5 inch crispy flat pods on sturdy short vines. These are the finest tasting, most vigorous snow peas you’ll find, bred at Oregon State University especially for fresh harvesting with sweet flavor and extra crunchy texture. Use them for colorful tasty stir fries or eat the juicy pods raw. An especially rewarding crop to plant and enjoy with children who will happily snack on them all day!
Organic, fast-growing and weather tolerant new spinach with juicy thick leaves and especially tasty mild sweet flavor. Pick individual leaves or cut whole plants over a long harvest season.
Mandarin Cross Japanese Tomato
Beautiful, golden-orange Mandarin Cross tomatoes have a wonderful creamy-tender texture and sweet, even flavor finish that just melts in your mouth. These gorgeous midseason tomatoes are borne in abundance and ripen like jewels on strong indeterminate vines whose dense foliage provides a good canopy against sun scald. A plateful of their glowing juicy wedges, the color of ripe persimmons, is a picture of delicious beauty. Slices of Mandarin Cross garnished with basil will take you to tomato heaven.
Rainbow Sherbert Watermelon Trio
Grow three varieties of early maturing “icebox” watermelons with delicious pastel yellow, orange or pink flesh. These extra fancy beauties weigh in at only 4 to 7 pounds with thin, green striped rinds and dense, crisp flesh. Their party colors and refreshing sweet, sherbet-like taste make them wonderful everyday treats or gorgeous summer desserts. Seeds are color-coded with USDA food grade stain to distinguish varieties.
This tropical-looking ornamental basil has dense 1/2 inch leaves that grow in clusters around distinctive purple stems. Imported directly from our best Thai seed producer, Queenette's exotic flavor combines aromatic mild sweet spices with clove/mint basil flavor. It is a critical ingredient in Southeast Asian dishes and marvelous in stir-fries, chutneys and marinades. An eye-catching herb to interplant with flowers for "edible landscaping." Plant Queenette basil to enjoy growing and cooking with authentic Thai ingredients.
Chinese Chives (also called Garlic Chives)
One of my favorite fresh herbs, Chinese chives, combines the flavor of garlic and the sweet oniony taste of chives in a perfect marriage. The 10 to 12 inch long, strappy flat leaves are scrumptious whenever you want a hint of garlic flavor without the fuss! Use fresh as they lose their savor when cooked. I snip them into 1/2 inch pieces to sprinkle over fresh salads or on top of most steamed vegetables or a plate of juicy sliced tomatoes. They are wonderful in potato or pasta salads, with scrambled eggs, or even deep fried to finish a rice dish. When your plants begin to bloom with pretty white flowers – break up and sprinkle the individual florets over salads for an ornamental and edible flower garnish.
The delicious spicy pungency of fresh cilantro leaf is essential in salsa and most Mexican dishes or in piquant Southeast Asian cooking. Our Slow-Bolt Cilantro holds in leaf better than other strains, but plan on making several sowings for a constant fresh supply, as plants flower and make seed quickly and the lacy green leaves don’t dry well. If your plants do flower, scatter their spicy blossom florets in salads.
The flavor of fast-growing Bac Lieu Vietnamese Cilantro is mild and delicate with an extra citrus twist. The plants resemble regular cilantro but the foliage is topped with fine cut, frilly leaves. Enjoy at every growth stage, as Bac Lieu plants hold their delicious flavor even as they mature and begin to flower. Sprigs of leaves are traditionally harvested while young and tender and served on a platter so individual diners can add to taste for extra savor throughout the meal.
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Our top-quality mini Napa or "Chinese" cabbage has juicy, tangy-sweet flesh and a delicious cool and crispy texture. Extremely vigorous, with excellent disease resistance, Little Jade plants form dense, vase-shaped 8 to 10 inch heads. Enjoy the versatile and nutritious crunchy stalks as a snack, with dips or in coleslaw. Stir-fry for everyday meals; sauté quickly with garlic and ginger and add a handful of toasted peanuts or cashews and a splash of hot sauce. Or consider making your own kimchi! Chinese Suyo Long Cucumber Our certified organic Asian heirloom cucumber produces lots of long, slender and ribbed, burpless deep green cukes with a fine delicate flavor and crispy texture that cucumber lovers will treasure.Our certified organic thin-skinned with crisp, mild, juicy flesh, these burpless cucumbers never need peeling. Long, perfectly straight fruits on vigorous vines that produce right until frost.
Edamame – Edible Soybeans, Fresh Soybeans |
Renee's Garden Seed Vegetables: Herbs: Basil, Thai, Queenette Chinese Chives (also called Garlic Chives) Cilantro Cilantro, Vietnamese, Bac Lieu
|
Our mixed seed packet offers an easy way to grow the three best varieties of hybrid Asian eggplants. Their glossy, tender skins enclose succulent, creamy-smooth flesh, that is never bitter and easy to quickly slice and cook. These beauties are borne in abundance with multiple clusters of slender, elongated fruits on well-branched, extra-early plants. Seeds are color coded with USDA food grade stain to distinguish varieties; make sure to plant some of each.
A delicious and beautiful Asian green grows quickly and easily in both spring and fall. Rosette Tatsoi speedily forms round flat rosettes of rich green, teardrop shaped leaves. At maturity, the big heads measure a foot in diameter. Tatsoi’s tender, succulent leaves have a wonderful mild flavor, sweeter than most other Asian greens. Tatsoi adds both color and flavor to fresh green salads or enjoy it in stir-fries. This vitamin and anti-oxidant rich powerhouse is a great ornamental edible.
Our balanced blend of four easy to grow mild mustards. Each has a different shape and texture, from upright and smooth to crinkly and curly, all with succulent and delicious green leaves. This highly nutritious cool-season mix can be harvested throughout spring/early summer and then planted again for fall meals. Cut for salad or harvest the fast growing leaves when more mature to stir-fry or steam and finish with a splash of rice vinegar or hot sauce. Equal Parts Mustards: Tender Green, Florida Broadleaf, Southern Giant and Mizuna.
If you enjoy both crispy salads and Asian flavors, you will love this baby salad mix with a full array of colors, shapes and textures. Harvest effortlessly with scissors at just 4 to 6 inches tall for a delicious fresh salad blend that includes Komatsuna, Mizuna, Mustard (mild Green and Red), Rocket, Tatsoi and Chinese Cabbage. This mix of tender baby leaves makes a surprisingly mild and balanced salad bowl. Cut often for tasty fresh salads as pretty as a picture.
The tender green tops and long white shafts of Parade have a mild but zesty flavor and crisp texture. These juicy scallions stand erect in the garden for easy harvesting and don't take up much space, so you can pull as needed for a gentle onion flavor in salads and everyday cooking. Carefree and quick to grow to a useful size, Parade thrives in wide variety of soils and conditions. Plant for both spring and fall harvests.Pak Choi has 6 to 8 inch tall green vase shaped heads with broad, pale green crunchy leaf stalks that contrast handsomely with their dark green leaves. The heads grow multiple stalks that form an urn shape. Pak Choi has a slightly sweet, very mild cabbage flavor and very juicy stalks. Separate and chop both stalks and leaves to use. Besides, stir-frying with scallions, fresh ginger and garlic, then finishing with soy or Thai peanut sauce, I enjoy the leafy stalks in chicken soup or as a quick sauté with snow pea pods and red sweet pepper and carrots. When you thin the plants to their final spacing, the young thinnings with just 4 to 6 tender leaves are particularly tender and tasty. The remaining heads quickly grow into full heads making this great spring crop one of my favorites for extended continuous harvesting in the garden. Cook all baby Pak Choi very simply to enjoy their tenderness. I sometimes steam or sauté the heads whole just until tender crisp as a side dish with broiled ham steak, roasted pork or chicken. Or you can stuff the little vase shaped heads like you would an artichoke and steam them in chicken broth.
Smooth and uniform in shape, top-quality Crimson Crunch is an extra-fancy, globe-shaped radish with a brilliant cherry red outside and fine-textured, snow white flesh. Carefully bred to be quick growing and vigorous, Crimson Crunch has an excellent crispy texture in a wide variety of soil conditions. Roots keep their vivid color and mild flavor without getting hot tasting or spongy textured. One of the kitchen garden’s fastest-growing treats, Crimson Crunch adds zest to salads, garnishes and appetizers.
This striking Asian heirloom, a.k.a. “Beauty Heart” in Chinese, produces large, 2 to 4 inch roots with pale green exteriors and rich rose-red crunchy flesh the same color as a perfectly ripe watermelon. The sweet, mild to just slightly peppery flesh is perfect to shred into salads for gorgeous color and flavor or slice thin for colorful snacks or eye catching dip holders. Harvested roots keep well stored in the fridge. Plant at midsummer; taste is sweeter in cold weather.
Grow an appetizing stir-fry with our Pan-Pacific Blend of all the flavors, colors and textures you need for quick cooking – or snip some baby leaves for crunchy early salads. Contains equal parts tangy, rich-hued Red Mustard; Mizspoona, a new cross between tasty-sweet Mizuna and rich-flavored Tatsoi; succulent white-stemmed Pac Choi and handsome Asian Red Kale. These highly nutritious, crispy greens grow quickly and evenly. Harvest with scissors while you heat up the wok for fast stir-fries of well-balanced fresh flavors. Equal parts: Red Mustard, Mizspoona, Pac Choi, Asian Red Kale
Oregon Giant bears huge yields of sweet, exceptionally large, 5 inch crispy flat pods on sturdy short vines. These are the finest tasting, most vigorous snow peas you’ll find, bred at Oregon State University especially for fresh harvesting with sweet flavor and extra crunchy texture. Use them for colorful tasty stir fries or eat the juicy pods raw. An especially rewarding crop to plant and enjoy with children who will happily snack on them all day!Organic, fast-growing and weather tolerant new spinach with juicy thick leaves and especially tasty mild sweet flavor. Pick individual leaves or cut whole plants over a long harvest season.
Mandarin Cross Japanese Tomato
Beautiful, golden-orange Mandarin Cross tomatoes have a wonderful creamy-tender texture and sweet, even flavor finish that just melts in your mouth. These gorgeous midseason tomatoes are borne in abundance and ripen like jewels on strong indeterminate vines whose dense foliage provides a good canopy against sun scald. A plateful of their glowing juicy wedges, the color of ripe persimmons, is a picture of delicious beauty. Slices of Mandarin Cross garnished with basil will take you to tomato heaven.
Rainbow Sherbert Watermelon Trio
Grow three varieties of early maturing “icebox” watermelons with delicious pastel yellow, orange or pink flesh. These extra fancy beauties weigh in at only 4 to 7 pounds with thin, green striped rinds and dense, crisp flesh. Their party colors and refreshing sweet, sherbet-like taste make them wonderful everyday treats or gorgeous summer desserts. Seeds are color-coded with USDA food grade stain to distinguish varieties.
This tropical-looking ornamental basil has dense 1/2 inch leaves that grow in clusters around distinctive purple stems. Imported directly from our best Thai seed producer, Queenette's exotic flavor combines aromatic mild sweet spices with clove/mint basil flavor. It is a critical ingredient in Southeast Asian dishes and marvelous in stir-fries, chutneys and marinades. An eye-catching herb to interplant with flowers for "edible landscaping." Plant Queenette basil to enjoy growing and cooking with authentic Thai ingredients.
Chinese Chives (also called Garlic Chives)
One of my favorite fresh herbs, Chinese chives, combines the flavor of garlic and the sweet oniony taste of chives in a perfect marriage. The 10 to 12 inch long, strappy flat leaves are scrumptious whenever you want a hint of garlic flavor without the fuss! Use fresh as they lose their savor when cooked. I snip them into 1/2 inch pieces to sprinkle over fresh salads or on top of most steamed vegetables or a plate of juicy sliced tomatoes. They are wonderful in potato or pasta salads, with scrambled eggs, or even deep fried to finish a rice dish. When your plants begin to bloom with pretty white flowers – break up and sprinkle the individual florets over salads for an ornamental and edible flower garnish.
The delicious spicy pungency of fresh cilantro leaf is essential in salsa and most Mexican dishes or in piquant Southeast Asian cooking. Our Slow-Bolt Cilantro holds in leaf better than other strains, but plan on making several sowings for a constant fresh supply, as plants flower and make seed quickly and the lacy green leaves don’t dry well. If your plants do flower, scatter their spicy blossom florets in salads.
The flavor of fast-growing Bac Lieu Vietnamese Cilantro is mild and delicate with an extra citrus twist. The plants resemble regular cilantro but the foliage is topped with fine cut, frilly leaves. Enjoy at every growth stage, as Bac Lieu plants hold their delicious flavor even as they mature and begin to flower. Sprigs of leaves are traditionally harvested while young and tender and served on a platter so individual diners can add to taste for extra savor throughout the meal.
