Chinese cabbage may prove to be lucrative crop
By JOANNE SPAHR
LANCASTER, Pa. - Moses
Chu, 2833 Lincoln Highway
East, is always seeking new
avenues in which to market
goods and to utilize the
resources around him. At the
present time he sees a small,
but lucrative market in
growing Chinese cabbage
and soiling it to Chinese
restaurants in the major
cities along the eastern coast
with New York City,
Philadelphia, and
Washington, D.C. the main
distribution points for
Lancaster County produce.
Chu maintains that at least
800 large or small Chinese
restaurants in the New York
district (which includes
Long Island and New Jersey
areas) desire this variety of
cabbage as a staple. And,
while there are already six
Chinese vegetable gardens
in New Jersey who supply
the needs of New York’s
Chinatown, their capacity is
far below the demand. The
rest of the supply is pur
chased from California.
However, growers in Lan
caster County should be able
unnonr
Check John Deere’s Roundup of
Haymaking Bargains for special
discounts plus year-end
investment credit
Act fast and you can save two big
fistfulls of cash Look at this list of
cash discounts we re offering right
now on hay and forage equipment
On top of those savings you could
save some more on investment credit
Time is limited See us before January
sneaks up on you and cash-in on
John Deere s Round-Up of
Bargains
MACHINES
336 and 346 Balers
15A and 1 6A Choppers
100 Stack Mover 25 and
34 Forage Harvesters
1207 1209 and 1214
Mower/Conditioners
800 and 830 Wmdrowers
466 Baler Round Balers
35 and 3800 Forage Harvesters
100 Stack Wagon
200 and 300 Stack Movers
Hydrostatic Windrowers
200 and 300 Stack Wagons
Self-Propelled Forage
Harvesters
230 Stack Shredder/
Feeder
No finance charges imposed until the next use season Ask us for
details If dealer inventory of any product listed above is exhausted,
can be ordered
Agway, Inc.
Chapman Equipment Center
Chapman, PA
215-398-2553
Evergreen Tractor Co.
Lebanon, PA
717-273-2616
to produce better quality
cabbage for one reason, says
Chu. That is, Chinese cab
bage develops a sweeter
taste with cooler weather.
So, while California
vegetable growers are
picking their produce,
Lancaster growers could be
allowing their cabbages to
develop to a more desirable
quality.
Other characteristics of
the cabbage are that it is an
elongated variety which
grows upright and packs its
leaves tightly around the
center core. As the weather
grows colder, the outer
layers and inside layers
come together, causing the
cabbage to become very
hard. Because of this, Chu
says the moisture stays in
the cabbage and it is easier
to transport if it weren’t so
hard.
As far as the nutrients
contained in Chinese cab
bage, it is richer than
common cabbage in
phosphorus, iron, sodium,
potassium, and Vitamin A,
and it contains almost the
same quantities of calcium,
Neuhaus’es Inc.
Glen Rock, PA
717-235-1306
Johnson Bros.
Kregsville, PA
215-681 4766
Vitamin 81, and Vitamin 82,
but is lower in Vitamin C.
According to Chu, one of
the distinct advantages to
this variety is that it is one of
the few leafy vegetables
which can be kept for several
months in the garage under
normal conditions and
temperatures in the winter.
It contains 95 per cent water
in comparison to 92 per cent
for common cabbage, a
factor supposedly suitable
for longer storage.
Chu, who has been growing
the cabbage in his garden for
two consecutive years,
plants them in 20-mch rows
during early or mid-July,
thinning them constantly.
They must reach maturity
by August 15.
Chu grows his crop
organically, stuffing bones
into the soil around each
plant to replenish the
nutrients required. He also
does not use insecticides.
Instead, he daily checks
for caterpillars and garden
slugs which are both
destructive.
Advising
gardener,
DISCOUNT
UNTIL
28 FEB 1977
$195
$390
$520
$650
$1 040
$1 950
$2 600
Landis Bros.
Lancaster
717-393 3906
Adamstown Equipment Inc.
Mohnton, RO2, PA 19540
[near Adamstown)
215-484 4391
Miller’s Sales & Service
Stewartstown, PA
717-993-2470
the
Chu
novice
says,
DISCOUNT
1 MAR 1977-
30 APR 1977
$9O
$195
$260
$325
$520
$975
$2 600
Inc.
“Especially during wet
weather, evening checking
would be tfie best. Bring a
torch and a long sharp
needle with you, and you will
be able to wipe out all the
garden slugs within a very
short tune.
“The first or second frost
will not do much harm to the
plants,” he says, but
cautions that harvesting
should be done immediately
if snow or a strong, cold wind
which could freeze the
ground is forecasted. At
picking, each cabbage
should weigh three to seven
pounds.
Since Chinese cabbage is
in high demand during the
Chinese New Year
celebrated anywhere from
January 21 to February 16
due to the Lunar calendar
which the Chinese follow,
Chu advises that the cabbage
be stored until then in order
to get the best prices for the
produce. To do this, he
suggests a storage method
used in his home of Man
churia, China. That method
is to dig a vault into the
ground and to place the
cabbage inside. Then, the
vault is covered - first with
planks, then thick straw, and
finally, soil. The cabbage
will stay fresh and hold its
moisture for quite some
tune.
“At home we kept it for
three months,” says Chu.
“While the temperature may
be freezing outside, the
temperature inside may well
be above 40 degrees with
relative humidity remaining
at 95 to 100 degrees,” he
adds.
After three months, New
York City will be right at the
heart of its biggest demand
for cabbage, and that is
when Chu believes the
market will be its best.
“During New Year and
sold and serviced by 5
PENN BANGOR INCORPORATED
R.P/2 BANGOR, Pfl. 18013
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Dec. 4,1976 —
Chinese cabbage varies from common cabbage,
it is more elongated and grows vertically. Usually, it
weighs anywhere from three-and-a-half to seven
pounds. Moses Chu, who advocates the growing of
this vegetable, says that the weight could go as
high as 10 pounds.
Christmas,” says Chu,
“farmers should be able to
get 18 to 20 cents per pound
for the cabbage.” ,
At other times of the year,
Chu thinks it possible to get
17 to 18 cents per pound sold
direct. Currently, a 45 pound
crate of the cabbage is of
fered for $7.50 to $9 for
delivery to the buyer’s store
n lamp a tying.l
f\
NEW PROVEN TECHNOLOGY
• Saves Energy ... Costs as little as 3-4 C
per bushel.
• Increases corn weights ... Get up to 10%
more grain by weight from your bin.
• Preserves corn quality ~. controlled natural
curing with GRAINLAMPS doesn’t vaporize kernel
ingredients, doesn’t deteriorate starch quality.
See GRAINLAMP dried corn and see the dif
ference Better than cribbed corn! Better feeding
results.
• Non-stop harvest. The GRAINLAMP system
eliminates batch-drying bottlenecks at harvest
time Non-stop filling .. like a corn-crib. For the
big producer and the small grower.
TP
T 3
31
in New York City. In com
parison, common cabbage is
sold at five cents per pound,
wholesale.
There is a catch to this,
however. The grower must
obtain the correct type of
Chinese cabbage for winter.
The seeds can be gotten from
[Continued on Page 99]
® 215—588—5155
95