Wild Mustard Landrace

Brassica rapa
Also known as field mustard, common mustard

$5.00

In stock

Description

We enjoy growing wild mustard for food and spice. Rather than growing a highly bred cultivar we’ve enjoyed partnering with a wild mustard local to our region in Southern Oregon. We invited this wild mustard into our gardens since 2018 and haven’t looked back!

Indeed this wild mustard is worth growing because his leaves can get large and their flavor is mild compared to some spicier mustards. We especially love cooking mustard leaves in pork broth or miso soup. Once cooked, the leaves are soft, gentle in texture and impart a mild mustard flavor. We also love to include mustard leaves in saag and stir fries.

We also collect and clean mustard seeds for our spice cupboard. As a landrace these mustard seeds are variable in color from light red to dark brown and impart a medium level of spiciness compared to other mustard seeds. I love popping them in oil before introducing them to curry. They work well in any recipe that calls for mustard seed, including prepared mustards.

Since we started collecting mustard seed I’ve never had to buy mustard for the kitchen. Its yet another spice which we are sustainable in growing and while they are small in size, it feels good to easily be able to provide more of our spices and herbs each year.

As a weed that can thrive on its own, this mustard is strong and resilient. We’ve had no issues with pests or diseases. As a landrace, this mustard has a high level of genetic diversity and we see some subtle variation in leave shape and textures. The diversity also suggests that this mustard landrace will easily adapt to other gardens, climates and soil types.

In our zone 7 gardens these mustard greens overwinter and provide nourishing greens in the coldest months of the year, but put on most of their growth in the cooler parts of the shoulder seasons. In the warmer months mustard will flower quickly, so we really think of mustard as a cool weather green. Gardeners in colder climates should be able to grow mustard through the winter, or at least extend its season, in greenhouses or cold frames.

We wild tend our mustard plants and encourage volunteers to grow where they are thriving, as well as broadcasting seed where we want to see new plants growing. This mustard landrace is well suited for wild tending and volunteering but is also easy to direct sow.

I love seeing the yellow flowers dotting our gardens throughout the year. Aside from offering abundant beauty, wild mustard’s flowers attract tons of pollinators.

I am so excited to share seeds from our favorite mustard with you!

Details

Lifecycle: Annual
Lifespan: One season
Hardiness zones: 7-11 (USDA)
Habitats: Fields, roadsides, edges and disturbed soil
Plant size: 2 1/2 ft wide x 3 1/2 ft tall
Light: Full sun to part shade
Soil: All soil types, fertile soil preferred
Water: Moist soil preferred, some drought tolerance
Seeds per packet: 175+ seeds

Seed Starting

Mustard is a cold weather germinator and can be started fall through spring, or as soon as the ground is workable. Easy to direct sow by covering with 1/8th inch of soil and keep moist until plants germinate.

Cultivation

Keep the plants well weeded while they are young. While plants grow well in crowds, give each plant some space between them for larger leaves.

Once a number of plants are established and allowed to set seeds, mustard will likely volunteer in your garden for years to come.

Harvest

Harvest the leaves and tender flowering tops in the cooler months of the year.

Propagation

Mustard is grown from seed.

Seed Saving

Harvest entire seed stalks once the pods have dried up. Take care because the pods shatter easily. Thresh (crush) the seed pods, screen the seeds and winnow if cleaner seed is desired. Mustard is outbreeding so saving seeds from many or at least several plants is better than one or two.

Additional information

Weight0.007 lbs
Dimensions4.5 × 3.25 × .05 in

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