Fundamentals of Agriculture and Sericulture, Volume 3 (Unknown) - Page 23

Stir it while cooking and add a small amount of sesame seeds; once refined and cooked, it is no different from high-quality vegetable oil The text concludes the previous page's discussion on extracting oil from brassica seeds, suggesting sesame as an additive for better flavor.

Radish Carrot included

Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People original: "Qi Min Yao Shu," an influential agricultural manual written by Jia Sixie around 544 AD

The method for planting cabbage and radishes pronounced lu-fu is the same as the method for turnips 蔓菁 (manjing): The Brassica rapa, a staple root crop in ancient China.

Cabbage resembles the turnip but is larger. The local dialect calls it wujing. The variety with purple flowers is called lufu [radish]; its root is massive. Its seed pods, roots, and leaves can all be eaten raw. For those plants kept to produce seeds, cover them with straw, otherwise they will freeze to death.

Essential Matters of the Four Seasons original: "Si Shi Lei Yao," a Tang Dynasty monthly guide for farming and household management

For planting radishes, sandy loam soil literally "sandy sticky ground," referring to well-draining but fertile soil is best. In the fifth month, plow 犂 (li): To turn over the soil using an ox-drawn plow the field five or six times. Plant on the sixth day of the sixth month. One can never hoe too many times meaning frequent weeding and soil aeration is essential. If the seedlings grow too thick, thin them out so they are spaced apart. In the tenth month, harvest and store them in a cellar 窖 (jiao): An underground storage pit used to keep root vegetables cool and prevent freezing.

New Additions

To plant radishes, first hoe 斸 (zhu): A heavy hoe used for deep digging deeply to form cultivation beds and rake them level. Each bed can...