Pak Choi.. is it going to seed?

[noidea]

Hi there,

I am nit very good at the new terminology yet so I am not sure if I have this right...

I have some pack choi that looks fantastic but I noticed today that right in the heart it looks like lots of little tiny flower buds... does this mean it's going to seed???

If so... should I pick them over the weekend and live of stir fries!???

Many thanks

C

[sewer rat]

Hi Noidea
I'm afraid that those Pak Choi in which you can see the tiny flowerheads are indeed going to seed, or bolting.
You should be able to use the leaves before the yellow flowers appear. You could always sow some more as they are very quick growing.
I have two rows in at the moment with more sown and today I noticed that five out the 125 were bolting. Alice mentioned this on another thread about Pak Choi too

[noidea]

I thought so.....

I might well be having pak choi stir fry for lunch then tomorrow... and dinner .... and eh on Saturday too!

I have a few more about 3 weeks behind so not all is lost.

Many thanks

[Alice]

Hello Noidea, yes it sounds as if they are going to seed (bolting). But you can cut them now and use them up. If you wash them (if necessary) or just damp them, and put them in a freezer bag and clip it closed, they will keep fresh in the fridge for a while. I think the conventional wisdom says 3 days, but they keep much longer than that. If you have loads they make quite nice soup. Add some curry powder if you like it. And plant some more. Little and often is the way.

[JennieAtkinson]

Hello Noidea

Mine have bolted (gone to seed) too, quite spectacularly and are now about 3 feet high! I have been taking the leaves off and using them in stir frys and I've got a bag in the fridge. I've cut the tops off which might stop them growing higher, and I might get some more leaves next week. They were very quick to germinate and grow, so I'm sowing some more at the weekend.

They were delicious!

[veg4681]

At least your Pak Choi have grown big enough for the leaves to be eaten despite the flowering. My Pak Choi are tiny still, not ready for eating for a good while yet.

I think I've eaten the flower before (I like stir fried) but I can't remember whether this was for Pak Choy or Choy Sum or Brocolli Kale (bigger leafy sprouting Brocolli) - maybe all of them. Even if you don't eat the flowers, the stem of the flower is quite nice and tender.

[noidea]

I am looking forward to them actually!

It is kind of nice that I can actually pick and eat something other than radish!

C

[noidea]

It was lovely!!!

Had it with some sesame oil, red peppers, beef, spring onion, all tossed in the wok with some ginger!

YUM!!!!

C

[Alice]

Veg4681, it's the weather. Earlier in the year when the weather was warm my Pak Choi were up and ready for eating in 4 to 6 weeks. Now its cold and miserable this sowing is just sitting there with about 4 leaves after weeks in the ground. As soon as the weather hots up your Pak Choi will be up there.

[Birdie Wife]

I heard pak choi is nororious for bolting, mine all has this year! Last year the slugs and sheep ate it so I couldn't say one way or the other... but anyway, the flowering heads are great in stirfries too, just chop the whole plant up into bits, mind you don't get any chunky bits of stem in there too cos it can be tougher than the rest once it's bolted, and add it at the end to wilt in with the rest of the ingredients. Jst for future reference really, as it sounds like you had a delicious stirfry anyway!

[vegnut]

Hi all. So being a novice at Pak Choi myself, and reading this thread, am i to take it that you can eat all the Pak Choi at any stage, even when bolting. But the base of the stems (those lovely juicy white bits) go tough and unpallatable once bolted.
Many thanks
Dave