Leaf mustard- one of the most unpretentious and early ripening greenfinches. It can be sown all summer until mid-August and fresh leaves can be added to vegetable salads, and also stewed and used as a side dish for fish and meat dishes. And in early September, you can grow salad mustard in a greenhouse immediately after harvesting heat-loving crops.
Leaf mustard belongs to annual crops. At the beginning of the growing season, it forms a large rosette of leaves, the surface of which is covered with slightly prickly fibers.
Keep in mind that mustard greens quickly harden and become unedible, so they should be eaten at a young age.
This plant is also very resistant to cold and can easily tolerate short-term drops in temperature down to -7 degrees. Seeds begin to hatch already at +4...5 degrees, but in order for seedlings to appear already on the 5-6th day, they need to be provided with a temperature of at least +12 degrees. Salad mustard quickly moves to the flowering phase regardless of the length of daylight hours.
Mustard leaves are not suitable for long-term storage: on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator they remain more or less juicy and elastic for only one or two days.
Growing mustard leaves is practiced both in an open garden bed and in a greenhouse. To ensure a continuous supply of vitamins to your table, mustard must be sowed every 10-12 days. However, it is advisable to take a break in June-July, since the leaves of summer-sown plants quickly become hard and tasteless (this happens especially often in hot weather).
This crop likes to grow in cultivated, loose and moderately moist soils. It is advisable to prepare the bed for salad mustard in the fall: clear it of weeds and dig it deeply. Then in the spring it will be possible to only slightly loosen the soil by 10-12 centimeters and carefully level it.
On poor soils, when sowing in the furrows, it is advisable to add superphosphate or ammophos at a rate of one tablespoon per linear meter of the bed. It is necessary to leave 15-20 centimeters between individual rows, and cover the seeds with one or two centimeters of loose soil.
If you sow mustard in early spring, then immediately after sowing it is advisable to cover the soil with film or thick. This will speed up the formation of seedlings by 3-5 days. And as soon as two or three true leaves are formed on the plants, they are thinned out so that there is 5-6 centimeters between individual bushes.
Salad mustard is also often plagued by the rapeseed flower beetle. The safest and effective way The constant use of “non-fabric” can be considered the fight against these pests. Just make sure that the plants do not get steamy under cover - to do this, it is enough to regularly ventilate and water the plantings.
How to grow mustard from seeds
Mustard is not only a useful herb, but also very... For sowing as green manure, mustard seeds can be purchased at any gardening store, or you can also grow them yourself.
To ensure that the seeds have time to ripen properly, mustard leaves are planted as seedlings in the garden bed. Seeds are sown in boxes at the end of March - beginning of April, and the plants are transferred to a permanent place in mid-May, that is, at the age of approximately 45 days. At the same time, you need to leave more space between the bushes than when growing mustard for greens - from 15 to 20 centimeters.
Already in June, mustard grows to a height of 80-120 meters and takes the form of a bush. Soon, small yellow flowers begin to appear on the tops of the main and side branches. The flowering period of mustard is very extended and ends only in October. The seeds of this crop are small, oval, light or dark chocolate color. IN middle lane In Russia they usually ripen in September and remain viable for 5 to 7 years.
Growing mustard greens is not very difficult, but there are some subtleties that you need to know.
Mustard is an annual unpretentious salad plant. Leaf mustard is valued for its early vitamin greens with a slight bitterness and horseradish flavor. belongs to the cruciferous plant family.
It adds a spicy note to any salad. In addition to its taste, mustard is very decorative and will decorate any garden bed, thanks to its corrugated leaves of various colors. Salad mustard leaves are rich in vitamins. Contains vitamin C, group vitamins B, P., C, E, folic acid, minerals and a group of phytonutrients.
Specific essential oils and mustard oil give the leaves a spicy, spicy taste. Nowadays you can find many varieties of leaf mustard on sale. The varieties with colored leaves of a red-violet hue look especially interesting.
Growing leaf mustard - agricultural technology
Salad mustard is a long day plant. If you want to get juicy greens, then mustard should be planted at the following times:
- Early spring planting
- Replanting in August-September.
When planted in August, you can get excellent greenery in September-October. If mustard is planted in the summer months, it will shoot out and the leaves may be rough. Very often during the summer months, cruciferous plants are eaten by aphids and caterpillars. Mustard develops best at a temperature of 20-22*, that is, a rather cool summer and abundant watering are better for it.
Mustard seeds are black and quite small. When planting in the ground, young seedlings are thinned out. Neglect of planting leads to bolting, leaves develop poorly, and a rosette does not form. You can also grow mustard as seedlings, planting them in the ground in a permanent place in the cotyledon leaf stage. The shoots of mustard greens are similar to the shoots of radishes or turnips.
Soil preparation and mustard care
Leaf mustard loves fertile, well-fertilized soils and does not tolerate acidic soils. It is best to feed mustard with natural, organic fertilizers. An infusion of mullein (in a ratio of 1:10) or chicken droppings is best suited for feeding.
Good feeding, this is an infusion wood ash(a glass of ash per 10 liters of water). During the growing season, two feedings are carried out. The soil between mustard plantings must be loosened and weeded. Mustard is attacked by aphids and cruciferous flea beetles, so during this period the plants should be sprinkled with ash to repel insects. You can also add ash between plants.
Mustard should be watered regularly, it is better cold water. If you want to get seeds, you should leave a few plants. When the pods are fully ripe, but have not yet opened, they are cut off. To ensure that the cut pods ripen on time, they are placed in open paper bags until fully opened.
Harvesting mustard leaves
The leaves can be cut when the rosette reaches a height of 10-15 cm. Already 10 days after emergence, the leaves are ready for consumption. Fresh herbs are used for preparing salads, seasoning soups and as a seasoning for meat dishes. Everyone cooks from the ground seeds, without which it is difficult to imagine a set table.
Calorie content and features of the product composition. How can mustard greens help in healing the body? Can everyone eat it? How the plant is used in cooking: preparation features, interesting recipes.
The content of the article:
Salad mustard (Brassica) is an annual plant from the Cruciferae family. It is believed that its homeland is China. It is a salad crop with large leaves of various shapes. Depending on the variety, not only the shape of the leaves changes, but also the size of the plant. On average, its height is about 30 cm, but some varieties reach 60 cm. Leaf mustard is actively cultivated today in its homeland, that is, in China, as well as in Japan and India. In these countries, it is widely used in cooking, adding to fresh salads, sandwiches, and hot dishes. The product adds piquancy to the dish; its taste is reminiscent of both green salad and spicy horseradish. Leaf mustard is also respected in other regions. For example, in America it is used in cooking steaks, and in Italy they make aromatic spicy pasta with it. In Russia, the culture, unfortunately, is not popular, despite the fact that it is not capricious and growing leaf mustard in our climate is not difficult. Has an enviable chemical composition, it is rich in various minerals, vitamins and other biologically active components, and therefore, of course, its consumption has a beneficial effect on the body.
Composition and calorie content of mustard leaves
Like any other salad crop, it has a modest calorie content, and therefore it can be included without fear even in a strict diet.
The calorie content of mustard leaves is 27 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 2.9 g;
- Fats - 0.4 g;
- Carbohydrates - 4.7 g;
- Dietary fiber - 3.2 g;
- Water - 90.7 g;
- Ash - 1.36 g.
- Potassium - 384 mg;
- Calcium - 115 mg;
- Magnesium - 32 mg;
- Sodium - 20 mg;
- Phosphorus - 58 mg.
- Iron - 1.64 mg;
- Manganese - 0.48 mg;
- Copper - 165 mcg;
- Selenium - 0.9 mcg;
- Zinc - 0.25 mg.
- Vitamin A, RE - 151 mcg;
- Alpha carotene - 10 mcg;
- Beta carotene - 1.79 mg;
- Beta cryptoxanthin - 40 mcg;
- Lutein + Zeaxanthin - 3730 mcg;
- Vitamin B1 - 0.08 mg;
- Vitamin B2 - 0.11 mg;
- Vitamin B4 - 0.5 mg;
- Vitamin B5 - 0.21 mg;
- Vitamin B6 - 0.18 mg;
- Vitamin B9 - 12 mcg;
- Vitamin C - 70 mg;
- Vitamin E - 2.01 mg;
- Vitamin K - 257.5 mcg;
- Vitamin RR, NE - 0.8 mg.
- Arginine - 0.197 g;
- Valine - 0.105 g;
- Histidine - 0.048 g;
- Isoleucine - 0.098 g;
- Leucine - 0.083 g;
- Lysine - 0.123 g;
- Methionine - 0.025 g;
- Threonine - 0.072 g;
- Tryptophan - 0.03 g;
- Phenylalanine - 0.072 g.
- Omega-3 - 0.018 g;
- Omega-6 - 0.02 g;
- Saturated - 0.01 g;
- Monounsaturated - 0.092 g;
- Polyunsaturated - 0.038 g.
Useful properties of mustard leaves
The Chinese are distinguished by excellent health and high life expectancy. Of course, we will not assure that they owe this fact to their love for the spicy salad crop, however, one way or another, mustard leaves have the richest composition useful components and definitely makes a significant contribution to the health of the body when consumed regularly.
Let's take a closer look at the benefits of mustard greens:
- Strengthening of cardio-vascular system . The product has a beneficial effect on the heart and blood vessels. It reduces the likelihood of heart disease and acute heart failure. It cleanses blood vessels well, and is especially effective in lowering cholesterol levels, which helps prevent thrombosis, atherosclerosis and other dangerous vascular diseases.
- Prevention of cancer development. The plant contains antioxidants with a high degree of activity - quercetin and kaempferol. These elements help regulate the level of free radicals, which, when in excess, lead to the formation of abnormal molecular bonds, which in turn triggers the development of tumor processes. By reducing the level of free radicals, quercetin and kaempferol also reduce the likelihood of developing cancer.
- Anti-inflammatory effect. Powerful anti-inflammatory properties are due to the high content of vitamin K and the presence of Omega-3 acids.
- Normalization of work digestive system . First of all, the positive properties of the product in relation to the gastrointestinal tract are expressed in the normalization of intestinal motility, this is possible due to the content of fiber and water in the composition. Thus, this salad crop is a great way to get rid of constipation, flatulence and other intestinal disorders. Another beneficial property of mustard leaves for digestion is stimulating appetite, this is facilitated by mustard oil, which is part of the plant. Of course, for those who are on a diet, stimulating appetite is not the most beneficial effect, but if we're talking about about toxic manifestations, mental fatigue and other unhealthy causes of decreased appetite, mustard leaves are the solution to the problem.
- Strengthening the immune system. Of course, salad culture also has a general healing effect on the entire body, due to the presence of a large number of useful components in the composition. Regular use of the product leads to the restoration of vitamin and mineral balance and increases the body's defenses.
- Beneficial effect on bones and joints. Mustard leaves play an important role in strengthening bone tissue and joints, which makes its use especially necessary for people in old age.
- Beneficial effect on fetal development. The high folic acid content makes mustard leaves necessary product in the diet of women preparing to conceive a child, as well as those who are on early stages pregnancy. Folic acid is the main vitamin for expectant mothers, as it plays a critical role in DNA synthesis and development nervous system fetus
- Improved skin condition. Regular consumption of the culture has a positive effect on the condition of the skin. Fiber, which is part of the plant, helps remove toxins, which often cause the appearance of various imperfections. In addition, the leaves contain a lot of vitamin A, which also has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin.
Contraindications and harms of mustard leaves
Despite the impressive list beneficial properties leaf mustard, it, unfortunately, is not recommended for use by everyone. Firstly, it is worth saying that there is a fine line between the benefits and harm of mustard greens, and the name of this line is measure. This means that even a healthy person should not abuse this product, otherwise one or another unpleasant symptom may appear.
However, some people are not recommended to eat the product in normal doses that are not dangerous for a healthy person. Patients with gallbladder and kidney disease are primarily at risk. The leaves of the plant contain substances such as oxalates, which negatively affect the condition of people suffering from the above ailments.
In addition, it is worth saying that if you are prescribed calcium therapy, it is better to avoid using the product, as it interferes with the absorption of this mineral into the blood. Also, you should not eat it while using anticoagulants - these drugs are aimed, among other things, at reducing the level of vitamin K in the body, and mustard leaves will increase it.
It is impossible not to mention that, like any other spicy crop, mustard leaves should be introduced into the diet with extreme caution in the presence of severe heart and digestive system diseases.
Allergy sufferers and pregnant and breastfeeding women should also be careful. The active components of the plant may cause individual intolerance.
If you have health problems or are taking medications that were not mentioned in this section, most likely mustard greens are not contraindicated for you, but it is still better to consult with your doctor before introducing the product into your diet.
How to eat mustard greens
Certainly, The best way eat mustard leaves - add it fresh to the salad. It can also accompany serving meat or other hot dishes. It is not forbidden to use the plant as a spice, but in this case it is better to add it a couple of minutes before preparing the dish, this way more nutrients will be preserved.
As for the preparation of leaf mustard, this is a very controversial point. Salad crops are rarely preserved for a long time, because they are mainly used fresh, and after freezing and drying, the product can be used purely as a spice.
And, nevertheless, if this option suits you, you, of course, can stock up on mustard leaves for the winter. It can be frozen or dried like any other greens.
Drying is best done in the open air (the leaves must first be washed and cut), but you can also use the oven, but try not to raise the temperature above 40 degrees. Freezing is even easier; the greens only need to be washed, dried, chopped, put in plastic containers, closed with a tight lid and put away. freezer.
You can also marinate or salt mustard leaves, for example, according to this recipe:
- Wash the leaves (1 kg), dry and cut into pieces of the desired size.
- Cut into half rings onion(1 piece).
- Prepare the marinade: mix water (3 liters), salt (4 tablespoons), sugar (8 tablespoons), vinegar (2 tablespoons), bring it to a boil.
- Place the mustard and onions in jars, pour in the slightly cooled marinade and roll up the jars or close them with a tight lid.
Recipes with mustard greens
So, as we said above, the use of the product in cooking is not limited to strict limits. It sounds equally good in both cold and hot dishes, except perhaps it would hardly be appropriate in desserts. But leaf mustard will add piquancy and unusual original notes to other recipes, so if you want to make changes to an already boring dish, try using a hot-spicy culture native to China for this purpose.
And if you don’t want to experiment, use ready-made recipes:
- Healthy sandwich. Fry toast bread (4 slices) in a frying pan in a small amount of vegetable oil or toast in a toaster. Boil chicken breast(1 piece). Prepare the paste sauce: mix crushed mustard leaves (50 grams), olive oil (1 tablespoon) and crumbled feta cheese (100 grams). Cut the tomato into thin slices (1 piece), and the breast into slices. Place a little pasta on each slice of bread, then a couple of tomato slices and a few slices of breast.
- Fried mustard with garlic. Heat in a deep frying pan vegetable oil(1 tablespoon), fry thin slices of onion (120 grams) until golden brown, then add chopped garlic (2 cloves) and cook until its smell spreads throughout the kitchen. Add chopped mustard leaves (500 grams) and pour in broth - meat or vegetable (3 tablespoons). Simmer until the leaves become soft. Add sesame oil (1/4 teaspoon) to the finished dish, salt and pepper to taste. This interesting side dish can be served with any meat as an addition to the main side dish, for example, rice or potatoes.
- Fresh mustard greens salad. Green onions(20 grams) cut into slices, tomatoes (150 grams) and bell pepper(150 grams) - in medium-sized cubes. Tear cilantro (10 grams) and mustard leaves (40 grams) with your hands. Place all vegetables and herbs in a bowl. Prepare the dressing: mix vegetable oil (25 ml), lemon juice(1 teaspoon), salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing into the salad, let it sit for about five minutes and eat.
- Spicy pork with green beans. Heat vegetable oil (2 tablespoons) in a wok or saucepan and fry green beans(200 grams) for 5 minutes and transfer to a plate. Make a high heat, add minced pork (400 grams) and fry it for 5-10 minutes, then return the beans, add mustard leaves (100 grams), any wine (3 tablespoons) and soy sauce(3 tablespoons). Simmer the dish for another 3-5 minutes. Season the finished dish with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Mustard leaves have interesting feature: When reheated, nitrates can be converted into harmful components - nitrites and nitrosamines. This transformation occurs due to the activity of a group of bacteria that multiply in nitrate-rich foods. That is why it is better to cook hot dishes with mustard leaves in one serving to avoid reheating. By the way, spinach also has the same curious feature.
The crop requires minimal care; it has only two main “requirements” - loosening and watering. If you forget about the latter, the leaves become tasteless and rough. Mustard grows very quickly; within four weeks after planting you can get good bunches of lettuce.
Despite the fact that mustard greens are often compared to spinach in terms of healthiness, its closest “green” relative is arugula.
One of the best varieties the plants are considered “Saladnaya 54” and “Volnushka”.
It is noteworthy that leaf mustard can be found in our climate growing wild, in abandoned gardens, vacant lots, and near roads.
The culture is used to obtain oil, which can be used for salad dressing.
Watch a video about mustard greens:
Leaf mustard is a real storehouse of useful substances, but it is also a tasty product that adds piquancy and originality to any dish. It’s not so easy to find it in our stores, but if you do, be sure to buy it and try it. And if you like this crop, you can grow it yourself in the country or at home in pots. However, before introducing the product into your diet, read its contraindications.
How to grow salad and Sarep mustard? What varieties of salad mustard are grown?
Varieties of salad mustard and their description
❖ Volnushka— an early-ripening variety, from germination to technical ripeness no more than 30 days. The rosette of leaves is large, erect, slightly spreading, 25-32 cm in diameter, 24-30 cm in height, number of leaves 4-6. The leaf is large, light green. The weight of one plant is 25-70 g. The taste is good.
❖ Ladushka- early ripening, from germination to technical ripeness 58-60 days. The rosette is compact, vertical, 23-30 cm in diameter. The leaf is large, entire, elongated-ovate, green, without pubescence, dense, juicy, crispy. Plant weight 150-180 g. Specific taste - slightly spicy.
❖ Ant- early ripening, from germination to technical ripeness 35-40 days. The rosette of leaves is vertical, 25-35 cm in diameter, 30-40 cm in height, number of leaves 12-18. Plant weight is 60-90 g. The taste is good, it has a pleasant mustard flavor.
❖ Red-leaved- early ripening, from germination to technical ripeness 30 days. The diameter of the rosette is 25-35 cm, there are 10-15 leaves in the rosette. The leaves are vertical, large, round, dark green, with a red-violet tint. The weight of one plant is 15-20 g. The taste is sharp and tart.
How to grow salad mustard?
Leaf mustard- an early ripening, cold-resistant crop, so the first sowing is carried out in a film greenhouse, and immediately after thawing the soil is sown in open ground. For continuous consumption, leaf mustard is sown every two weeks. The distance between the rows is 20 cm, the sowing rate is 1.5-2 g/m2, the sowing depth is 0.5-1 cm.
The biggest problem when growing leaf mustard is the fight against cruciferous flea beetle, especially when sowing during May. Leaf mustard must not be processed chemicals, since its leaves are removed 15-18 days after germination. Good results are obtained by growing leaf mustard under spunbond, but the shelter should be tightly pressed with soil around the perimeter. More labor-intensive is dusting plants with ash.
Care consists of loosening, removing weeds, and watering. With a lack of moisture, the leaves quickly become coarser and lose their taste. Mustard is harvested when the rosettes of leaves reach 10-12 cm in diameter.
Mustard salad (lat. Lactuca sinapis) is a cruciferous vegetable and is related to broccoli, Brussels sprouts, radishes, turnips and other members of this family.
Mustard salad has a very spicy taste and bright aroma, similar to the aroma of mustard, which is a seasoning. It has very large leaves, and their shade can vary from emerald green to burgundy and dark purple. Mature plant reaches a height of up to 1.5 meters, and at the very top of the stem there are golden-yellow flowers.
Useful properties of mustard salad, side effects and contraindications
Like any green, mustard salad is rich in many nutrients that promote health and prevent disease.
Mustard salad is very low in calories and fat, with only 26 calories per 100 grams of fresh leaves. At the same time, its leaves contain sufficient quantityfibers , helping to control the level cholesterol, affecting its absorption in the intestine. In addition, consuming fiber promotes good bowel function and thus provides protection against hemorrhoids, constipation and even colon cancer.
As you know, any greenery contains vitamin TO , but mustard salad among them is one of the undisputed leaders in its content. 100 grams of fresh leaves contain about 497 micrograms, which is about 500 percent of daily norm vitamin A K1 (phylloquinone). Vitamin K has an important role in the functioning of bone building, and is also necessary for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease, limiting damage to neurons in the brain.
Fresh mustard salad leaves are also good source folic acid , per 100 grams about 187 micrograms (47 percent of the recommended amount). This water-soluble vitamin plays an important role in DNA synthesis and is capable of early pregnancy prevent defects of the nervous system in a newborn baby.
Mustard salad is rich in vitamins WITH, which contains 70 micrograms or about 117 percent of the recommended amount per 100 grams of product. Vitamin C is a powerful natural antioxidant that protects the body from various viral infections.
Very large quantities vitamin A A , contained in mustard salad, helps maintain healthy mucous membranes, skin and is simply necessary for good vision.
Mustard salad is also an excellent source of several important minerals such as calcium ,iron ,magnesium ,potassium , zinc , selenium And manganese .
Regular consumption of mustard salad may help prevent arthritis, osteoporosis, anemia, and it has also been suggested to protect against cardiovascular disease, asthma and prostate disease.
You should be very careful when choosing dishes with mustard salad Primarily due to the high content of vitamin K, people taking anticoagulants are advised to limit or even eliminate mustard salad from their diet, as the concentration of vitamin K in the blood increases.
And remember that it is always important to consume any products wisely and in moderation, otherwise they can cause harm, for example in the form of allergies.
How to choose and store mustard salad
When purchasing, look for fresh mustard lettuce leaves that are rich in color and have a firm, crisp texture, meaning they should not look limp or bruised. Of course, avoid leaves with foreign spots and clear signs staleness of the product, since mustard salad fades very quickly, even at room temperature, therefore, immediately picking fresh leaves or after purchase, it should be stored in the refrigerator.
And although they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days, it is better to eat mustard salad fresh to get the maximum amount of nutrients contained in it.
I wish you success!
Choose a recipe to your liking and enjoy the new, unforgettable tastes that mustard salad can give you!
