Re: Korean Radish

I’ve never tried this, but I met a Korean American chef who told me that you can use large American turnips for kkaktugi-like kimchi as well. Perhaps dandelion greens could be a substitute for chrysanthemum greens? European chives definitely are not the same as Asian ones–they had more of a garlic flavor. You can sometimes find them labeled as “garlic chives.” In recipes like kimchi that call for buchu, I think scallions are a better alternative than European chives.

I live in New York and have trouble gardening, but if you have any land or space for some containers, you could try growing some of these vegetables. That’s what my friend did when she was living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I haven’t used this company, but they seem to have seeds for everything: http://www.kitazawaseed.com/index.html. Perilla leaves in particular grow REALLY well, like weeds. You don’t have to be an accomplished gardener to grow them!