You ate the flowers all summer and now we’re offering the leaves and stems. Garland chrysanthemums are those delightfully cheery little flowers we’ve been adding to the salads. Our fall crop is coming in now and instead of letting them flower, we are harvesting them as greens. Asians use these greens in salads and soups and stir-fries. They are known as chop suey greens, tong ho, shungiku, depending on the country. Use the stems as well as the leaves and be sure to add at the last minute when cooking them or they will become bitter. Since I like food to taste elegant but be easy to cook, I just throw them in with a little butter, garlic, onion, thyme, rosemary and any other herb I fancy, sauté briefly and have a nice side dish.
So why would I bother with chop suey greens when there are so many other greens available, especially from Vittles de Vine? Besides their slightly tangy taste, they have their own power packed nutrients. They contain vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K as well as minerals (notably calcium) and amino acids. Garland chrysanthemum are so full of nutrients they are used
as a tonic in China.
We've entered the last month of market but we hope we've still got a few oddities for you.
Aunt Farmer
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