I’m embarrassed. My face is as purple as the Hon Tsai Tai stems, which are… way too woody to be eaten! Since I was convinced that the whole plant was good to eat, last night I chopped up a whole basket full (for the spanakopita…) and tried to cook it. Bad idea. The big fat hint was that the stems were hard to chop, but do I take hints?

So I hope that none of you had taken my word on the suitability of the Hon Tsai Tai. What I’ve just learned — the hard way — is that the whole plant is edible when it’s very small, but as soon as the leaves are big enough to look appetizing, the stems are no good. Please enjoy the leaves and leaf stems, which are fine, and if you’re feeling adventurous, add the tops of the flower stems. As long as they’re easy to chop!