Rapeseed is available year-round in China, but it’s particularly delicious in winter and spring, boasting a sweeter taste. Rapeseed is a nutritious cruciferous vegetable, low in calories and high in nutrients. It’s also high in calcium and potassium. It not only provides dietary fiber but also helps maintain bone health and lowers blood pressure.

However, both rapeseed and rapeseed flowers can sometimes have a bitter taste that can be off-putting. How can this be avoided in cooking?

Rapeseed is both edible and ornamental.

Early farmers rarely used fertilizer. They would haphazardly sow rapeseed seeds in the fields after the autumn harvest. When the flowers bloomed, they would plow the fields, allowing the rapeseed to become natural organic compost for the following spring plowing. This practice continues to this day, and every January and February in southern China, fields of vibrant yellow rapeseed blossoms can be seen.

Farmers use rapeseed flowers as fertilizer before spring plowing. Plowing the fields while the flowers bloom allows them to seep into the soil, providing nutrients for future rice cultivation. This has also become a signature springtime attraction in southern China.

Nutritional Value of Rapeseed

Rapeseed is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and B vitamins. Beta-carotene helps boost immunity. B vitamins can help eliminate fatigue and improve skin problems. Other vitamins and minerals help maintain the growth of mucous membranes and epithelial tissues, protect the skin, and reduce dry eyes.

Rapeseed is also rich in dietary fiber, which not only promotes intestinal motility but also reduces fat absorption and lowers blood lipids.

Not only is rapeseed edible, but the young stems and leaves of the rapeseed flowers are also edible, and the seeds can be used to extract oil or as feed. Rapeseed flowers are rich in vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin B2, and vitamin C. Eating them in moderation can help boost immunity, protect the eyes, and combat aging.

How should rapeseed be washed cleanly?

Rapeseed roots easily accumulate dust. Wash the stems and leaves of rapeseed or rapeseed flowers in clean water. After washing, remove the roots, cut the leaves into appropriate sizes, and rinse them in clean water.

Blanching the rapeseed or rapeseed flowers in hot water before cooking will improve the taste.

What should I do if the rapeseed or rapeseed flowers are bitter?

Always remove the buds before the flowers bloom. When cooking rapeseed flowers, the key is to blanch them quickly.

To avoid a bitter taste, blanch the rapeseed in boiling water. This will reduce the bitterness significantly. Stir-frying in warm oil will create a refreshing and crisp flavor. Rapeseed flowers are not suitable for high-temperature cooking; they are best cooked at low temperatures. Blanching or stir-frying is acceptable to prevent loss of nutrients.