Check, check, and check.
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Pretty sure this is kale growing on the front lawn of my apartment building. Pretty sure I am to blame for this.
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My Nappa cabbage is finally ready to pick also. I’m thinking of making a homemade Kimchi. Has anyone tried it before? Kimchi is so famous in South Korea, a quick Google search showed me that over 6 million tons are produced each year there. It’s considered one of their national dishes. Here’s a neat article I found about tourism in South Korea that mentions how popular kimchi is https://gowithguide.com/blog/tourism-in-south-korea-statistics-2023-all-you-need-to-know-5254. I’d love to try my hand at making some traditional Korean flavor. Let me know if anyone has a good recipe to share! 
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Several times. Maangchi’s got a mess of recipes. Start here:
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Yes, I posted a tried and true recipe I developed. Over the years, I’ve made hundreds of pounds of kimchi. I couldn’t find the HO post, so here is the recipe:
Kim Chi in quantities for a 3 gallon (11.4 liter) crock. Yield is about 1.25-1.5 gallons (4.7-5.7 l) of packed, final product (=2-3 of those big commercial Kim Chee jars). Quantities can be scaled down.
A: 8 pounds (3.63 kg) of Nappa Cabbage-remove 3-6 outer leaves to expose clean head and discard outermost leaves. Cut as many whole cabbage leaves as you need to cap/cover the container or crock inside. This “follower” keeps cut veggies under brine. Weigh these and add enough Nappa, cut into 1-2 inch (2.5-5 cm) squares to equal 8 pounds (3.63 kg)total.
1.5 pounds (680 g)of peeled Korean Radish (Green Top), cut into1-2 x 1/2 inch (2.5-5 x 1.25 cm) batons.
8.78 oz. (249 g) pickling salt dissolved into 1 1/2 gallons (5.7 l) water; this is the brine.
Mix vegetables in “A” and pack tightly into crock, topping with the whole Nappa leaves. Add weights on top of above follower and fill crock with brine. Vegetables should be submerged in the brine for 8-12 hours, i.e. overnight.
Scoop vegetables out of brine using a large spider, strainer, etc and put in a very large colander. Reserve about a gallon (3.8 l) of brine in a separate pot or bowl, in case it is needed later. Rinse out crock, pouring unneeded brine away. Rinse vegetables in “A” under fresh water briefly, mixing and turning. Taste samples; they should be a little salty, pleasantly. Transfer vegetables to a very large bowl or pot so items can be mixed in. Keep whole leaves = follower aside.
*= Items below can be omitted or adjusted to taste.
B: 7 Tablespoons (or to taste) fresh, peeled, finely chopped or shredded ginger.
6 large, green onions, chopped into short pieces. Garlic chives also work well.
1 Tablespoon Sugar
*14 Tablespoons Korean Pepper Flakes=Gochugaru; do not substitute Cayenne!
Gochugaru is much milder, less hot. It is spicy, so adjust or omit. *6-8 Tablespoon, to taste, Fish Sauce; I like Red Boat.
*1 bulb of peeled, minced or pressed garlic
- 8 TBS of Korean Pepper paste=Gochujang; Mother in Laws is a good brand, other types are often sold in red plastic tubs. Taste before adding to adjust quantities, or omit.
Mix Vegetables “A” with “B” items until thoroughly combined. I also add a little juice from prior batches of Kim Chee or commercial Kim Chee (about a Tablespoon) to speed up fermentation. Pack mixture tightly into crock, pressing down to omit air space and add follower leaves on top to cover surface. Add weights. If there is less than 3 inches (7.5 cm) liquid over top of the vegetables, add reserved brine to get this amount of liquid cover.
Seal crock to omit air and store 60-70 degrees F (15.5-21 C) for 2-3 days. Taste, if it’s not a little bubbly/fizzy, return to ferment 1-2 days. If it has fermented, transfer to large jars, leaving 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) headspace for expansion. Fasten lids so they can vent pressure, put jars in sealed bags, in fridge. Kim Chee will get more sour as it ages. Keep vegetables pushed down, under brine. It’s usually best after 5 plus days in the fridge.
This recipe does not need rice flour/paste, etc., which I’ve found unnecessary. It also doesn’t use half-cabbages, which are a pain to cut, eat later on. I used to trade kim chi with chefs at a local restaurant, for speck, fresh fish, etc. It’s important to ferment kim chi at cool temperatures.
Using weight is much better than volume for this. Salt can vary a LOT in weight per volume. Sea salt works well. Kosher salt is a bit pricey for this purpose, since much of the initial brine is discarded.
By the way, it looks like the “nappa” has some bok choy genes in it, judging by the size and shape of the petioles (leaf stems).
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Always a pleasure to hear from you @bogman !
I found some of your suggestions!
It starts with a thread inspired by the author in @small_h 's link.
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Thank you! Fermentations are so amazing, when they work properly. And, there are many ways to accomplish a set goal.
Perhaps it was last year, there was a discussion on Callaloo. While a bunch of different greens can be used to make it, I finally discovered the identity of the one used in Grenada and elsewhere in the tropics. Known also as “Tanier Spinach” and “Belembe”, it’s an Aroid related to Taro, Xanthosoma brasilense (syn. X. hastifolia). Unlike Taro, its leaves have very few irritating/stinging crystals of oxalates, making them easier (and safer) to prepare.
However, this plant is surprisingly difficult to find in the USA. I have a couple sources to try yet, but prior leads ended up in dead ends.
Belembe has a superior flavor and smoother texture than the Amaranth leaves sometimes used for Callaloo. I’ve made Callaloo with Amaranth, and it just wasn’t as good. I’m kicking myself for not trying to bring a Xanthosoma b. back from Grenada, back in the 90s. The quest goes on.
Due to a bad back (injury?), spring gardening will be greatly reduced. A great many projects are still going on, being perennials, bushes and trees. A major emergence of 17-year cicadas is forecast, which is a big problem as the females slice branches with a swordlike ovipositor to lay eggs. This can disfigure or even kill small fruit trees. With luck, I’ll put netting or Reemay/Agribon fabric over prized tree branches, plants I’m hoping to establish and/or graft in the future.
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Due to a bad back (injury?), spring gardening will be greatly reduced. A great many projects are still going on
Best wishes!
While a bunch of different greens can be used to make it
I think I recall you sharing that, but still didn’t realize that! I saw someone call chard calaloo on a cooking show recently, and then did the same myself. I suppose there’s more to it than that . I’ll be sure to be on the lookout for a source of the “real” thing.
Callaloo, being a dish rather than a plant, can be made with a lot of different plants, even in the Caribbean. I’ve heard of it being made with Taro, Belembe, Amaranth and even a tropical Pokeweed, Phytolacca. Using chard is a new one on me!
I never thought of it that way! I guess I thought this was “thee” way to cook a tender green called calaloo, for which spinach was usually substituted.
Thank you for that! I’m thinking my in-laws know that, so I will refrain from pointing that out to them. 
This was interesting.
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As you may know, many Caribbean names are “flexible”; e.g. Scotch Bonnet or Seasoning peppers can refer to many different types of peppers. I suspect that’s also true when the leaves of “Dasheen” or “Taro” are used. True Taro makes a starchy, edible corm, as does Malanga. Because of the stinging crystals, these leaves need MUCH longer cooking times. Belembe doesn’t make a swollen starchy corm; only the leaves are eaten.
Like many Aroids, it’s difficult to tell these apart by casual looking; one needs to dig into botanical descriptions; that is, if you’re outside of areas where you can just ask a neighbor for a plant or two. I saw Belembe growing as a landscape plant, on the walkway to a restaurant in Grenada, the Callaloo. Their namesake dish was delicious.
Greens, by themselves, are often … meh. It’s always fun to see how different cultures and cooks tinker with their flavors and make something tasty.
One of the least boring greens is Acmella oleracea, (syn. Spilanthes oleracea, S. acmella), commonly called “Buzz Buttons”, or “Electric Daisy”. The foliage and especially the flowers cause a tingling, semi-numbing sensation, leading to yet another name: “Toothache Plant”. The cooked greens are part of the national dish of Madagascar, Romazava. I’ve made a knockoff of the dish, using beef, Zebu meat being hard to find here! I mixed the Acmella with Malabar Spinach and New Zealand Spinach. It was worth making again.
Mixed with milder greens, Acmella makes a great potherb. If you nibble on a flower, then drink plain water, it tastes like a citrusy, carbonated beverage! The seeds are tiny, but the plant grows quickly and enjoys hot weather. It forms a thick mat, with thimble-shaped flowers poking above the foliage. The type I’ve grown has yellow flowers with a red center, very ornamental. Seeds are readily available.
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I’ve also seen them called Sichuan Buttons.
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The last time there was a callaloo discussion here, it reminded me of how “saag” in India means a specific green, but also just “greens”, and the eponymous dish can also be just one green (mustard) or a whole mix, depending on who, how, and when.
Given the Indian-Caribbean connection, I wonder if there is any common background. The ingredients and prep are suspiciously similar!
ETA: Of course there is! @shrinkrap had linked this before and I missed it
“Callaloo is a leafy green sometimes called bhajgee”
“Bhaji” is the marathi word for saag (which is hindi/punjabi) and means both “greens” – but also more specifically, in season, either amaranth or taro / colocasia or specific regional choices.
Why was I wondering about a connection given the shared history… this sometimes tiny world we live in 
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Wednesday night on Top Chef Michelle won with Saag Paneer made with collard greens. There was talk online that contestants are more willing to experiment with “Indian” dishes without Padma there.
Besides Colonialism? 
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I just did a “blog” post about that for Master Gardeners!
That’s shared history. Displacement of peoples. How food travels.
Yes! I am always intrigued by that. Trinidad and roti especially! I have so much to learn.
