Produce Briefs...
Mache
Mache has been cultivated in France since the 17th century, and in France it is known as doucette. It is also known as "lamb's lettuce" because its leaves resemble the size and shape of a lamb's tongue.
White Corn
White corn is a sweet corn variety. Its ears are wrapped in tightly layered pale lime green to white husks. One ear of corn can contain up to 400 kernels growing in rows lengthwise.
Seasons/Availability
Tatsoi is available year round.
Current Facts
Tatsoi, botanical name Brassica narinosa is a cool-season flat-forming Chinese cabbage and member of the Brassicaceae (mustard) family. It is commonly known as spoon mustard, spinach mustard and rosette bok choy. In Chinese, its name is wu ta cai and in Japan it is known as tasai. It is treated as a cut-and-come again leafy vegetable, allowing for multiple harvests on a single plant. The plant's maturity is signaled by flowering shoots arising from the foliage. Eventually the plant will sprout seeds, marking its life cycle's migration. The seeds can be saved and used for future crops.
Description/Taste
Tatsoi is a small low-growing plant that forms a rosette of petite leaves with short pale lime green stems. Its spoon-shaped, near seaweed green colored leaves are glossy with a buttery, tender and succulent texture. Fresh tatsoi displays sweet and tangy flavors with a mineral finish. Once cooked, it develops a warm earthiness similar to spinach.
Applications
Tatsoi is a very versatile green in the kitchen. It can be used with any other green that you might like to make a salad, such as spinach, arugula, watercress, pea tendrils, mizuna or even also be substituted for any recipe calling for spinach. Its tangy and peppery notes pair well with citrus, crisp cool ingredients such as apple, fennel and mint, warm flavors that are abundantly found in chiles, garlic and allspice. Pair tatsoi with ingredients rich in umami such as scallops, mushrooms, seaweed and braised meats. Fermented ingredients such as fish sauce, soy sauce and vinegars are also complimentary matches.
Geography/History
Tatsoi is native to China, yet its culinary roots are in Japan. Its period of cultivation so deep there, it is considered an ancient green. As with all Chinese brassicas, tatsoi is a vigorous grower. It germinates quickly and seedlings develop so rapidly you can almost see them grow. Unlike the typical Western brassica, maturing in 5-10 months from sowing, plants can be harvested within 3-4 weeks of sowing. Though tatsoi will adapt to loamy and sandy soils, it thrives in fertile nitrogen-rich soil, warm days and cool nights.
Featured Restaurants
Restaurants currently purchasing this product as an ingredient for their menu.
| Pamplemousse Grill | Solana Beach CA | 858-792-9090 |
| Roy's San Diego | San Diego CA | 619-239-7697 |
| Leroy's Kitchen & Lounge | Coronado CA | 619-522-6890 |
| Roppongi | San Diego CA | 858-551-5252 |
| San Diego Culinary Institute Inc. | La Mesa CA | 619-644-2100 |
| Roy's La Jolla | San Diego CA | 858-455-1616 |
| Red Door Restaurant & Wine Bar | San Diego CA | 619-295-6000 |
| La Jolla Country Club | San Diego CA | 858-454-9601 |
| Vista Valley | Vista CA | 760-758-2800 |
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Tatsoi. One
is easiest, three is harder.| Family Oven |
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Shiitake Pine Nut Tartar with Wilted Tatsoi and Poached Pears |
Recently Spotted
People have spotted Tatsoi using the Specialty Produce app for iPhone and Android.
Produce Spotting allows you to share your produce discoveries with your neighbors and the world! Is your market carrying green dragon apples? Is a chef doing things with shaved fennel that are out of this world? Pinpoint your location annonymously through the Specialty Produce App and let others know about unique flavors that are around them.
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coronado farmers market Near San Diego, California, United States About 4 days ago Spotter's comments : Organic tatsoi is available today from Maciel Family Farm. It has a nice delicate flavor and nice crispness. City Heights Farmers Market Near San Diego, California, United States About 49 days ago Spotter's comments : Luchia's Produce is selling flowering tatsoi. It is grown on 54th street, in San Diego. Ocado Yorkshire Near Bradford, United Kingdom About 68 days ago Ocado Yorkshire Near Bradford, United Kingdom About 95 days ago |
