Blueberrier, I haven't seen your books. I feel like I'm in a backwater here . . . well, I know I am. There were 2 books on Asian vegetables/gardening that inspired me, years ago. They aren't my "go to" books because I kind of feel that I've "gone past them" these days. Still, reading them prompted me to try new things. The first was Better Vegetable Gardens the Chinese Way by Peter Chan. I read that about the same time I was reading about Bio-Dynamic/French Intensive gardening. That was about 35 years ago. Peter Chan seemed to simplify all that other stuff and I kind of never looked back. Well, I suppose I did by staying at least partly with matrix- and inter-planting in raised beds. The other book, I came across much later: Oriental Vegetables: The Complete Guide for the Gardening Cook, by Joy Larkcom. That book showed me that there was quite a wide world of vegetables and I was really limiting my gardening and diet by not exploring it. digitSteve

My maruba santoh bolted so i've started eating them. The stem is quite nice. You were spot on in saying they were like lettuce. It is very light and more tasteless than napa cabbage we get at the supermarket. I'd probably only finish the seed and grow it at either end of the season when i can't grow much else. I was impressed with the ability to stand cool weather and it still grew quite well. I needed quite a few plants for one meal though as it literally all wilts down to nothing! I had a prize one which was starting to look like a cabbage the way it splayed out but the it is a magnet for all sorts of pests and i think it might have cabbage root fly or something. Normally they wilt during the afternoon and i have to water them early and evening and they plump back up but this one i suspect has root damage. Shame as i was looking forward to harvesting the biggest and baddest one. Will harvest the rest tomorrow so i get to eat them instead of the flea beetles and friends. Interesting thing is they seem to prefer that over the tatsoi and those in turn over my mustards. They take a lil bite of the mustard and move on. I have already sown tokyo bekana and fun jen so i expect those will be similar. Looking forward to various mustards and choi sum. What have you got growing? :)

With most salmon dishes I would serve boiled new potatoes with parsley butter and either a green bean dish or sauteed snow peas. Julienned carrots & parsnips are another possibility. Here's a recipe that originated with Atlantic salmon, but which works just as well with it's Pacific bretheren: George River Salmon 4 salmon steaks, cut about 1-inch thick 3 tbls Dijon mustard 2 tbls olive oil 1/2 cup dry white wine Salt & pepper to taste Mix the oil, mustard, wine, salt & pepper in a bowl. Add the salmon steaks to the sauce and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours, turning often. Place the steaks on a buttered piece of foil, on a broiler pan. Preheat the broiler. Place the steaks 4 inches from heat source and broil until they flake; about 10 minutes. At least twice during cooking brush with marinade. Instead of a bowl I mix the marinade in a zipper bag and add the steaks to it, squeezing out the air before putting in the fridge. This dish can be made on the grill, too. If you don't mind working a little harder, this dish always impresses people: Salmon & Rice in Pastry 1 lb fresh raw salmon in thin slices 1 pastry recipe 3 cups cooked rice, dry & cold Salt & pepper to taste 2 cups veloute sauce 1 tbls chopped fresh dill 1 tbls lemon juice 3 hard cooked geegs, finely chopped 1 egg beaten with 1 tbls milk 1/4 lb unsalted butter, melted. Divide pastry in two parts. Roll out one half to 1/4 inch thickness, place on a cookie sheet, and trim to a 7 x 17 inch rectangle. Put a layer of rice 1/3 inch deep on the pastry, leaving a 1 1/4 inch border all around. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon half the veloute sauce over the rice. Lay the salmon slices over the sauce to cover. Sprinklw with salt, pepper, dill, and lemon juice. Cover with the rest of the veloute sauce, then choped eggs. Top with another 1/3 inch layer of rice. Roll the second half of the pastry to 1/4 inch. Trim to 9 x 16 inch rectangle. Paint the border of the lower crust with the egg wash and top with the second pastry layer, carefully pressing the edges together without stretching the loaf. Trim to about an inch around the loaf. Press edges with tines of a fork. Cut two small holes in top of loaf, about 1/2 inch in diameter. Gather scrps of pasry together and cout out decorative shapes. Paint entire loaf with egg wash and stick on the decorations. Then glaze them. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put loaf in oven and immediately lower temerature to 375. Bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours until pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand about 15 minutes. Pour 2 tbls melted butter into each hole in the top. Cut loaf into 1-inch slices and serve with remaining melted butter. Obviously, with the rice & pastry you can skip the potatoes with this one. For a luncheon, as you suggest, I would think of a light consomme starter (see my posts about celery consomme, for example, which would be ideal) followed by this dish along with a fennel & orange, or other fruity salad.

I have become addicted to Mock Mashed Potatoes made with cauliflower! I had seen the recipes from time to time, but never thought they would really taste like real mashed potatoes -- but they do. My preparation is very simple. I've seen it with Ranch Dressing or non-fat Ranch Dressing added to it also. Steam a head of cauliflower until very soft. Mash. Add I Can't Believe It's Not Butter & salt to taste. ---------------------------------------------------------- Here's another one, a bit more complicated but still easy: Mock Mashed Potatoes Your guests will probably never know that these rich mashed potatoes contain no potatoes at all. They are made from cauliflower. Great for low-carb diets. These are doubly good with bacon bits added. INGREDIENTS: 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets (discard core and large stems) 1 (14 ounces) can chicken or vegetable broth (or homemade - about 1-3/4 cups) 2 Tbsp butter 2 ounces cream cheese 2 Tbsp sour cream 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1/4 cup sliced green onions, white and green parts Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste PREPARATION: 1. Place cauliflower florets in a large saucepan. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. 2. Cover and simmer until very tender, about 12 minutes. 3. Drain thoroughly through a fine sieve and return to the pot over low heat. 4. Cook about 2 more minutes to dry out excess moisture, stirring constantly. (It's okay that they break apart.) Pour cauliflower into food processor fitted with the metal blade. 5. Add butter, cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onion, salt, and pepper. Pulse to combine. Reheat before serving, if necessary.