Bok choy is also known as Chinese white cabbage, a two-tone long-stemmed cabbage with white leaf stalks and dark green leaves. Prized especially for its crunchy white stems, bok choy is one of those great vegetables to have around to serve with just about anything.

When buying bok choy, look for freshness and good white-to-green contrast. If the base of the oldest leaf is wide compared with the length of the leaf, the bok choy will be more tender and flavorful.

To cook bok choy, all you need is a good frying pan or wok. Add a little oil to a heated pan, add the chopped stems first and partially cook, then add the leaves.

You can add a variety of seasonings, but salt seems to be the perfect seasoning for this vegetable.

There are many varieties of bok choy, one of which is Shanghai bok choy, also referred to as baby bok choy. This variety is all green from stem to leaf and is usually about 6 inches in length. It is a particularly tender and flavorful variety, and it is usually cooked whole or separated into whole leaves.

Look for locally grown bok choy — both varieties — at farmers markets and in supermarkets.

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Hawaii food writer Joan Namkoong offers a weekly tidbit on fresh seasonal products, many of them locally grown.