While most are familiar with some of the oriental vegetables - Chinese cabbage, mustard greens and the giant oriental radish - their introduction into western gardens has been an altogether slower process than that of the trees, shrubs and flowers the plant-hunters brought back from China. Yet the Orient possesses adaptable vegetables which can be grown fast and intensively in the West. Many are extremely nutritious, lending themselves to quick healthy stir-frying or steaming and, when harvested young, for use in salads.;In this guide for the Western gardener, Joy Larkcom provides information on the cultivation and use of over 100 oriental vegetables, showing the ease with which they can be grown in Western climatic conditions. Their looks and colours are frequently suited to use in decorative schemes, or potagers. They provide vitamins in our diet at a time of year when other green vegetables are not available, and as the recipe section demonstrates, they are delicious to eat.