Chinese Leaf Cabbage

Family - cruciferous. Motherland - the Mediterranean and East Asia.

The closest relative of the Peking cabbage. An annual plant, very early in life - from the moment of emergence to the formation of a real rosette of leaves is only 35 - 45 days.

Chinese cabbage leaves are one-piece, without pubescence, grayish-green in color. Inflorescence - scute. The flowers are small, yellow, the fruit is a pod, the seeds are round, small( the mass of 1000 seeds is only 1 - 2 g).The plant is cold-resistant, the seeds germinate at a temperature of +5 - + 8 ° C.Seedlings appear 10-12 days after sowing.

♦ Accommodation - bright window sills, and in late spring and early autumn - glazed verandas, balconies, balconies. For normal growth and development of Chinese cabbage, a temperature of +15 - + 18 ° C is needed.

♦ Planting and care. Chinese cabbage grows well both on acidic and carbonate soils. You can prepare the substrate yourself. This requires: humus earth, turf and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1.Very good feeling cabbage, if it is planted in the "Biogrunt", sold in flower shops.

Before sowing seeds, they are treated for 20 minutes with hot water( 48-50 ° C).Seeds are ground to a depth of 0.5 cm. Watering is abundant, but not frequent. Feed cabbage during the growing season no more than 2 times, using a liquid concentrated fertilizer "Rainbow" for this.

♦ Reproduction - by seeds.

Application

Salad

Cut 2-3 cabbages of Peking or Chinese cabbage, 2-3 cucumbers, greens onions. Mix and season with sour cream or mayonnaise. To taste salt.

Hot dish from cabbage

2-3 cabbages of Peking or Chinese cabbage to boil, 50 g of butter to fry with breadcrumbs and mix with boiled cabbage leaves. Sprinkle finely chopped parsley.

Korean way of souring

Cabbage cabbage in a strong brine( 700 - 800 g salt per 10 liters of water).After a week, rinse. Slice the garlic, sweet pepper, carrots with which to stuff the head( lay between the petioles and leaves).Kochany tightly lay and pour salt solution of a smaller strength( 400 - 500 g per 10 liters of water).Keep as all pickles.

In ancient times, cabbage was not only a source of food, but also widely used in medicine. Indications about the value of cabbage for the treatment of a number of diseases are available in Caton, Pliny, Dioscorides, Pythagoras and other ancient figures of science and medicine. Cabbage was used for digestive disorders, liver diseases, for the treatment of burns.

Currently, cabbage is also given great importance. It is established that its fresh juice contributes to the healing of ulcers. Cabbage leaves contain phytoncides, which contribute to the destruction of the tubercle bacillus and Staphylococcus aureus. Cabbage juice is also used to treat sore throats, coughs, and colds.