Tatsoi

Dark green leaves, distributed in a small bag. You can tell it from other greens by its rounded leaves (sometimes with little tiny holes nibbled in them, darn flea beetles) and mild, crunchy flavor and stems. In late fall, we occasionally serve it as a head, where it looks like a beautiful rosette. Honestly, we think this might be one of the most under-appreciated veggies out there—it is really, REALLY good, nice and crunchy and tasty and can be used in almost every way spinach is, but doesn’t have any of that spinach bite. 

When it's in Season at Hartwood Farm:

Spring and fall, but tatsoi can take a bit more heat than the other salad greens!

Crop Category and What it Tastes Like:

Salad Green! And a cooking green!

Spinach is one of those vegetables that may have had a bad reputation when you were a kid, but now it’s time to realize the delicious versatile goodness of spinach (if you haven’t already). Spinach is tender, earthy, and a bit bitter. It tends not to overpower other things it’s cooked with and makes for a wonderful salad base that lends more flavor than lettuce does.

How to Handle and Store:

Stores best in the crisper drawer in a loosely closed bag. If fairly dry, can keep for one to two weeks in the fridge. Of the salad greens, we find tatsoi keeps the longest. When it’s starting to go by, it will get damp, slimy looking spots or start turning yellow.

How to Prep for Use:

Since it grows so close to the ground, we recommend washing well and spinning it out. You might see little spots on the leaves--this green is so good it's a favorite of our main nemesis, the flea beetle. Sometimes we distribute it anyway (it's just so delicious).

Ways to Cook and Eat:

This is one of the more under-appreciated crops. It's mild and crunchy and delicious. It can be eaten raw in a salad, but we like it best lightly sautéed. Probably the closest similar veggie is baby bok choi (can be used as a substitute in any of recipes that call for bok choi), but it can also be used in place of mustard greens or spinach, if you prefer tatsoi’s milder flavor.

Quick and Dirty Hangry Farmer Go-To Preparations:

We generally upend the whole bag into a stir fry a minute or two from the end of cooking. Alternately, we will cover a plate with raw tatsoi and top it with something hot, which turns it into a lightly wilted salad. We honestly love tatsoi—if we have a hankering for a nice side dish of greens, this is our go-to veggie.

Typical time to:

It’s easy to overcook—watch for it to change color and consistency that indicates it’s done, if you go too long it can get mushy. It’s ready when it becomes bright green.

• Steam—1 to 3 minutes

• Sauté—1 to 3 minutes

• Bake—We don’t recommend

• Boil—We don’t recommend

Our Favorite Recipes:

Gingery Sauteed Tatsoi with Tofu Steaks (Fresh City Farms)— sub fish, shrimp, seitan, or chicken if you aren’t a tofu fan!