ACCE$$ TO A$IA ASIAN VEGETABLES NEWSLETTER Issue No. 7, June 1996 (English Edition)

In the last issue, we identified ten Asian vegetables for Victorian supermarket requirements. We have so far presented information on four of these ten Asian vegetables and will continue to present information on each of the remainder in future Acce$$ to A$ia newsletters. In this issue, a report on the Chinese cabbage trials in Bairnsdale, Myrtleford and Tatura will be presented as well as information on Chinese chives and Chinese flowering chives including current retail and wholesale (where available) prices in Melbourne.

CHINESE CABBAGE TRIALS

Trials are being conducted state-wide to determine the suitability of Chinese cabbage varieties in the different regions.

BAIRNSDALE ( Nick Barton Tel.: 051 520 600)

Variety trial - Cream, Manoko, Chiko, Bejo 1683, Hong Kong, Yuki and Green Rocket were transplanted at three planting times: March, April and May 1996. With the first planting, Cream and Manoko matured earlier than other varieties and have been harvested.

Row cover trial - Yuki and Green Rocket were used at the three planting times. To date, it has been found that plants under cover grow faster than those with no cover. It is too early to assess the effect of bolting.

Fertiliser trial - with the April planting only, different base fertiliser rates were compared for any effect on bolting.

Commercial exports to Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan are in progress. Some breakdown problems were experienced with early season containers, the cause of which is still being investigated.

MYRTLEFORD ( Stephen Moore Tel.: 057 311 223 )

Planting 1: transplanted on 27/10/95 and harvested on 18/12/95. Varieties trialed were Cream, Yuki, Tango, Manoko, Wom Bok, Blues and Green Rocket. Only Green Rocket bolted. The Chinese cabbage harvested weighed on average 1-1.5 kg. They were compact and of good quality. The estimated yield at a recovery rate of 95% was 40 tonnes/ha.

Planting 2: transplanted on 22/4/96 and will not be harvested for at least another month. Varieties sown were Cream, Yuki, Tango, Manoko, Wom Bok, Tai Pan, Optima, Blues, Matilda, Green Rocket, Chiko and Bejo.

The Chinese cabbage were transplanted in two off set rows at 40 cm spacing with 40 cm wide rows. All varieties grown were barrel shaped (or wong bok type) with the exception of Green Rocket, Chiko and Bejo which were cylindrical (or rocket type) in shape.

TATURA (Murat Top Tel.: 058 335 299)

Fourteen varieties were sown on 4/4/96 and 15/4/96. The aim of this observation trial is to define under the Northern Irrigation region conditions the influence of temperature on the yield and quality of Chinese cabbage. The seed was planted directly at 30 cm spacings with each row, 40 cm apart. This trial was similarly repeated with seed sown on 23/5/96 in an unheated glasshouse.

The varieties sown included Cream, Manoko, WR Green, Optika, Yuki, Disko, Treasure Island, Harusakari, Green Rocket, Winter Hero, Winter Champion, Monument, Matilda and Optima.

This project has a Crop Health Service component for Asian vegetables.
For a free disease identification on your Asian vegetable, please ring Mandy Chew on (03) 9210 9222.

Chinese or Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum)

Edible alliums in general are important in Asian cuisine. These include shallots, spring onions, garlic, Chinese chives, flowering chives, Kiangsi scallions, onions, and leeks.
Chinese chives, also known as kau choy in Cantonese and he in Vietnamese (pronounced 'hare') is a perennial herb rarely growing taller than 25 cm. The leaves are flat and grass-like and the plant is always sold as leaves only. It has a stronger taste and a tougher, more fibrous texture than either spring onions or true chives. The leaves are eaten blanched or green. The blanched chives are yellow in colour.
The young inflorescences are also used as a vegetable. Flowering Chinese or garlic chives consist of a bundle of smooth, leafless, green stems about 3 mm in diameter, with a single conical bud at the tip of each stem.

Nutritional content

In every 100 grams of green leaves, there are:
94 g water 2.2 g protein
3 g carbohydrates 0.3 g fat
19 mg phosphorus 10 mg calcium
0.03 mg vitamin B1 0.5 mg iron
0.05 mg vitamin B2 1 mg niacin
0.05 mg carotene 9 mg vitamin C

Preparation

Both Chinese chives and flowering Chinese chives can be used in the same way as spring onions or chives, in salads, soups, omelettes, dips, herb butters etc. Chop them up finely, or mince and use sparingly.

APOLOGY

In the last issue of the newsletter ( Issue No. 6, April 1996 ), there was an error in the presentation of the wholesale domestic price of Chinese cabbage. The average wholesale price for Chinese cabbge in Melbourne ranged from $11.00/carton to $13.00/carton over the survey period (March 1995 - March 1996) with the exception of November where the price recorded was $8.00/carton.