Joined: Jan 2010 Gender: Female Posts: 957 Location: Central Minnesota zone 4
Asian mustard greens « Thread Started on Sept 19, 2012, 7:36pm »
I have grown few of the Asian greens except baby bok choy and Napa cabbage (lettuce type). I want to do a summer baby green mix of baby kale, chard and whatever else would be somewhat heat tolerant and mild. Which of the Asian mustard greens is mild and somewhat heat tolerant?
From the sandy potato fields of Sherburne county, Grandma's Garden grows heirloom vegetables, flowers and herbs for Market and CSA. Now have 15 members and 1 market. Been semi-pro for 5 years.
From the sandy potato fields of Sherburne county, Grandma's Garden grows heirloom vegetables, flowers and herbs for Market and CSA. Now have 15 members and 1 market. Been semi-pro for 5 years.
Joined: Jan 2010 Gender: Female Posts: 957 Location: Central Minnesota zone 4
Re: Asian mustard greens « Reply #3 on Oct 4, 2012, 10:45pm »
Anyone with more comments? Baker Creek site has some high remarks about Komatsuma and green leaf gailan. Anything that is mild enough and heat tolerant enough to sneak into green mixes. I am loving pea shoots this year! When I pick them I eat them! Now I know why deer eat them.
From the sandy potato fields of Sherburne county, Grandma's Garden grows heirloom vegetables, flowers and herbs for Market and CSA. Now have 15 members and 1 market. Been semi-pro for 5 years.
Joined: Feb 2011 Gender: Female Posts: 2,905 Location: 37°N 121°W, Elev 276 Ft
Re: Asian mustard greens « Reply #5 on Oct 5, 2012, 11:11am »
Try checking out Wild Garden Seed. He may have a suggestion.
I tried strawberry blight this year, but never got any berries. I think it must be too dry here. I tried Red Aztec Spinach, but no one cared for it very much.
I did see something that might work for you. I was at a friends house, and they have a rack like my pumpkin rack. On it they have Asian Greens and lettuces. They plant them, clip them, water them up, let them re-sprout and then clip them again. They plant and re-plant all summer. The greens don't get big enough to bolt.
From the sandy potato fields of Sherburne county, Grandma's Garden grows heirloom vegetables, flowers and herbs for Market and CSA. Now have 15 members and 1 market. Been semi-pro for 5 years.
Joined: Feb 2011 Gender: Female Posts: 2,905 Location: 37°N 121°W, Elev 276 Ft
Re: Asian mustard greens « Reply #7 on Oct 5, 2012, 9:29pm »
She has the same rack, with flats of greens on them. They have them in a shade house (Shade on the Southern side and on the top.) They roll them in and out for picking. In her case she rolls them straight over to where they are washing and packing. I knew I'd be sorry I didn't bring my camera when I went to her farm.
Re: Asian mustard greens « Reply #8 on Oct 5, 2012, 10:44pm »
Chinese mustard is not at all mild, but one plant inadvertently germinated along a fence line (birds) where there was drip irrigation. July-Sept. This managed to grow to full size when I pinched the buds, disliked hot winds, but recuperated when they subsided. We've had 90-100+ degree temps.
My raspberries and green tea dislike full sun, so their 5ga pots were put under the shade of the mulberry tree. Feral lettuces have grown between these pots, even during the late summer, without going to seed.
Box-ironbark forests of central Victoria. Skeletal sedimentary soil, 500mm rainfall
Joined: Sept 2011 Gender: Male Posts: 570 Location: Bendigo, Australia
Re: Asian mustard greens « Reply #9 on Oct 6, 2012, 5:52pm »
I've found most of them to be day length sensitive - the ones planted in my relatively mild autumn all start to bolt when the days begin to lengthen in late winter. As for spring summer growth, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, Senposai is the most bolt resistant for me, but might be a bit tough for salad mix - I use it for stir fries, so don't pick it small. Evergreen Seeds (California) has a good range of Asian vege varieties, and were efficient in my limited dealings with them.
I've grown Komatsuna, Hiroshimana, and a few others but forgot to label them, so I can't offer advice. One was a bit hairy, and not too good on mouthfeel consumed raw. T
Joined: Nov 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 719 Location: Seattle
Re: Asian mustard greens « Reply #10 on Oct 7, 2012, 12:57am »
For salads, grow Mizuna, Tokyo Behana (which looks surprisingly like lettuce), and Komatsuna, which looks like spinach (but isn't--wrong family).
Komatsuna could be used gently stir-fried or better yet, steamed or pickled. Traditionally, it's pickled. It cooks similar to spinach but maybe slightly more substantial.
They're fast growing and easier than real lettuce or real spinach. Nevertheless probably slightly more substantial and nutritious than lettuce. They are perfectly mild, despite being half black mustard, at least when they are young. They're a stable amphiploid hybrid known as Brassica juno, derived from Brassica nigra (black mustard) and Brassica rapa.
In my equable climate I could probably grow them close to year-round, except in hottest or coldest weather. Highly recommended as a rather easy, quick crop, at least, grown in the right season for your climate.
Joined: Nov 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 719 Location: Seattle
Re: Asian mustard greens « Reply #11 on Oct 7, 2012, 1:03am »
To pickle the Komatsuna, you would salt them and add some ginger say, garlic, maybe some chili flakes for a little kick, and something like Current (Ribes) leaves, that have Lactobacillis bacteria on them. Put in a jar with a water seal, put a clean rock on the top to keep them pressed down, and keep cool. Like sauerkraut.
Box-ironbark forests of central Victoria. Skeletal sedimentary soil, 500mm rainfall
Joined: Sept 2011 Gender: Male Posts: 570 Location: Bendigo, Australia
Re: Asian mustard greens « Reply #12 on Oct 7, 2012, 3:47am »
Just checked my spring seedlings, and I DID label them! The Hiroshimana was a bit hairy when larger, but the Komatsuna was good. Not sure about the bolting, tho. Will let you know.
She has the same rack, with flats of greens on them. They have them in a shade house (Shade on the Southern side and on the top.) They roll them in and out for picking. In her case she rolls them straight over to where they are washing and packing. I knew I'd be sorry I didn't bring my camera when I went to her farm.
Those are just like my seed starting 'shelves'. so if I get some more flat totes I should be able to have lettuce year round in my basement. I suspect not enough for CSAs and market though.
From the sandy potato fields of Sherburne county, Grandma's Garden grows heirloom vegetables, flowers and herbs for Market and CSA. Now have 15 members and 1 market. Been semi-pro for 5 years.
To pickle the Komatsuna, you would salt them and add some ginger say, garlic, maybe some chili flakes for a little kick, and something like Current (Ribes) leaves, that have Lactobacillis bacteria on them. Put in a jar with a water seal, put a clean rock on the top to keep them pressed down, and keep cool. Like sauerkraut.
The addition of Ribes leaves was new and interesting to me. Do yours have a foggy film, like on some plums and grapes?
These pickles have a pleasant acidity, different from vinegar. I believe it is called malic acid.
I watched Korean people preparing kimchi, online. A few will answer questions, like a teacher.
Some used sticky rice flour to hold the spices onto leaves, raw oysters and squid for seasoning.
This did not make me sick, but had a strange cheesiness, like stink bait for fishing.
I have also found that dry chilis, partially rehydrated in a blender, have a ketchupy texture, so did not need much help to adhere.
I tried aromatic herbs, but these stopped the fermentation.
Other, unusual additions were rice straw to radishes, and smoke to mustard greens.
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