Ode to Tastoi

“Tastoi, oh tatsoi. You grow in winter. You grow in summer. Your heart-shaped love makes me warmer. You feed my body. You feed my soul. You don’t even turn on a mole. The worms can’t stand you. The bunnies abhor you.

But don’t worry because I adore you.”

Ok let me explain my song. I am sharing this embarrassingly-written song with you because I fear not many know about the power of tatsoi. Right now I have access to this beautiful, mild, rich-flavored green during the cold winter. Let’s get into the details of my song….

TASTE THAT IS WORTH IT Tatsoi is a member of the Brassica family but acts as a spinach-substitute. It is indigenous to China, where it has been documented since 500 A.D. Anyone who has tried to grow spinach and failed repeatedly will be happy to find tatsoi. No more spinach. Besides, spinach must be eaten in conscious moderation due to its oxalic acid concentration (that’s another topic for another day).

Oh the taste. I will admit, I am not a huge fan of spicy greens. I was turned off by the idea of growing tatsoi until my mentor, Farmer John of New Earth Farm, shared the magic of tatsoi with me many years ago on his farm. The taste exceeded my original expectation and continues to after an eight year relationship. That’s a healthy relationship. Take some notes.

It is full-bodied yet mild and even slightly sweet at the base of the stalk.

The texture is soft, creamy, and just perfect really. How should you eat it?

A raw salad is my preference (recipe below). It also serves as a last minute wilted topping on stir fry and in soups. I also juice it but prefer to chew it for taste enjoyment.

TAKE YOUR VITAMINS

Tatsoi greens are packed with calcium. One cup of greens provides almost a third of your necessary daily calcium. What else does it do? One ounce of greens supplies your body with 55% of your daily value for vitamin A, in the form of cartenoids. The raw form of tatsoi leaves are one of the most concentrated forms of natural vitamin C. These little magical leaves contain more than twice as much vitamin C as a lemon or an orange. The phytonutrients in tatsoi just may blow your socks off, so be ready for your power to turn on after you eat them.

Just don’t eat too much because tatsoi, like any other food, can have its drawbacks when moderation policy is violated. Like some Brassicas, tatsoi contains progoitrin, a compound that is converted into goitrin in the digestive track. Extremely high levels of goitrin may lead to thyroid suppression. This surfaces my ideology of rotation and moderation in your diet. You just have to do it with all of your food. Extremism is bad.

Moderation is good.

GROW IT DURING ANY SEASON Traditionally tatsoi is known for its tolerance to cold. It can withstand temperatures down to -15 degrees F. It can even be harvested under snow!

That was my original intent for tatsoi in my food production system – to grow them in winter. I accidentally learned that tatsoi carries a profound ability to avoid bolting in hot weather. One year I allowed tatsoi’s winter position to remain through spring. When I prepared to remove it for summer, I realized the plant was still thriving, so I left it. That year the tatsoi resisted bolting through July.

What does mean? Tatsoi is a year-round green. At least it is for me. When it does finally bolt, meaning flowers to set its seed head, feast on the flowers for a while. Once you are tired of the flowers, save the seeds and never buy a packet of tatsoi seeds again. You can be your own seed company.

I have noted tatsoi as a winter green, but seriously, it actually GROWS during the winter. Anyone who winter gardens understands what I mean. Plant science teaches us that when soil temperature drops below 45

degrees, root growth slows dramatically, and in some cases stops completely. Not with tatsoi! Sure I cheat a bit and keep my tatsoi under a low tunnel hoop house, but this stuff grows and grows through winter, hoop house or not.

FREE OF PESTS Right now my winter garden is full of varieties of lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, kale, garlic, and yes, tatsoi. On warmer days, I pull back the hoop house that covers my entire garden to make sure everyone is happy and healthy.

My kale, cabbage, and broccoli, members of the same family as tatsoi, have to get their usual spray treatment, Young Living Peppermint Oil infused with garlic and red pepper in a gallon of water. Yes, even in the dead of winter the nasty little, perfectly-camouflaged cabbage worms continue their attack. I have tried to freeze them away by leaving the hoop house open on 25 degree nights knowing that my plants will survive thanks to their blanket of mulch. Alas, the cabbage worms prevail. SUPER WORMS! Between the peppermint oil spray and birds feasting on the little suckers, I am able to keep the population under control.

Wait, notice I did not mention having to spray tatsoi with my organic concoction! Therein lies my point. This green beauty has not fallen victim to the cabbage worms, even though it lives in the Brassica family. I have not detected a single one on my entire crop that is planted in a 20 foot long bed.

You feeling it? I hope so.

Hopefully my ode makes more sense now. Tatsoi on, my friends.

Simply Raw Tatsoi Salad: Chop up red pepper, apple, and just a touch of red onion. Top your chopped goodies on a bed of tatsoi greens, whole leaf or lightly chopped. Dribble olive oil, a balsamic glaze, and 2 drops of Young Living Lemon Oil on salad. Toss and enjoy!

This salad will give you your complete profile of vitamin C for the day with the tatsoi/lemon combo. Plus it will serve as a metabolism booster and detoxifying meal thanks to the power of the lemon essential oil.

Why do Young Living oils appear in a post about tatsoi? Because Young Living Essential oils are a staple in my home that compliments personal food production very well. I cannot distill plants into the pure, potent, healing form of essential oils. I wish I could.

Don’t have Young Living Essential Oils? Contact me, and I will get them to you ASAP. Please don’t buy essential oils from just anywhere, and please do not pay full retail for them by shopping online. I love sharing the oils and my discount to anyone who wants them.

Get started with Young Living Essential oils HERE. References for article:  www.healthwithfood.org  Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Seed Catalog  My brain