Brassica juncea seed
LATIN NAME: Brassica juncea
COMMON NAME: Mustard
Mustard is the quick, hot, easy green of the cool gardens, and its bright, peppery leaves and the hot, pungent seeds have been a familiar of the kitchen for a very long time. The fast, leafy plant sends up the broad, toothed, dark-green leaves with a fine, hot bite, and later the bright-yellow, four-petalled flowers open in the clusters on the upright stems, to be followed by the slender pods of the small, round, pungent seeds. The young leaves are a fine, spicy green, and the seeds are the heart of the mustard of the table. It is a fast, generous, easy plant of the cool, sunny garden.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
Mustard has a strong and well-documented place in the plant science, and it has been studied as a fast, pungent crop and a member of the great brassica family. Researchers have looked at the compounds that give the leaves and the seeds their hot, pungent bite, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the leafy greens and the oil-seed crops. The bright-yellow flowers and the slender pods have also made it a fine garden plant, and it is a regular subject of the studies of the brassicas and the quick, easy crops of the cool season.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Mustard is grown for the hot leaves and the pungent seeds. The young leaves are a fine, spicy green for the salads and the stir-fries, and the small, round seeds are the heart of the table mustard, pressed for the oil or ground and mixed with the vinegar and the water for the condiment of the world. The bright-yellow flowers are also a fine, quick, easy crop of the cool garden, pulling in the bees of the early season. It has drawn attention in the international food and the agricultural press for its pungent seeds and its quick, easy ways, and it is a fast, generous, easy plant of the cool, sunny garden.
The mustard has been a familiar of the kitchen for a very long time, and the hot, pungent seeds are pressed for the oil or ground and mixed for the table condiment of the world. The young leaves are a fine, spicy green for the salads and the wok, and the bright-yellow flowers are a quick, easy crop of the cool season, pulling in the bees. It is one of the fastest and the most generous of the brassicas.
The mustard is a fine, quick crop for the cool garden, and the bright-yellow flowers are a cheerful sight in the early season. The plant is one of the fastest and the most generous of the brassicas.
To grow the mustard from seed, sow the small, round seeds thinly in drills of moist, free-draining soil and cover them very lightly, keep them in a bright, cool, open spot and water gently. The seedlings come up within a few days and the first leaves are ready in a few weeks. Give them the sun and the cool, moist, rich soil, and the hot, peppery leaves will be there for the salad bowl and the wok through the cool season.
NAME: Old Fashioned Mustard
OTHER COMMON NAMES: Old Fashioned Ragged Edge Mustard
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Brassica Juncea
COLOR: Green
PLANT SEEDS: Outdoors after frost / Indoors weeks before last frost
HARVEST: 40 – 45 Days
HARDINESS ZONE: Annual
PLANT HEIGHT: 12 – 18″
PLANT SPACING: 3 – 6″
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Sun
SOIL & WATER PREFERENCES: Average
OTHER: Old Fashioned is an heirloom mustard with frilled crinkled leaves. The leaves are wider than they are long, & have a fantastic flavor. Old Fashioned Mustard is a very popular southern variety that can be grown as a spring or fall crop. Mustard Greens can be used to add flavor to any number of dishes, & can be enjoyed raw in salads, steamed, boiled, canned, or frozen.