8 Cultivating Spicy Oriental Mustard
Reflection
A member of the Brassica family, spicy oriental mustard is a delight to grow and even more of a pleasure to eat. It’s my favorite! White stems with bright green tops stretch towards the light. I eat mine raw in salads and, because they taste so much like wasabi to me, I wrap them in nori when making my raw vegan sushi— it’s so delicious! Though a little later, I will be sharing a nori wrap recipe involving these greens and strawberries, to be honest, I just love them the best by themselves - just piles of these greens wrapped tightly in a nori wrap. Yum! Some people cook them and do things like toss them in soups or use them as pizza, potato or quinoa toppings. Whatever way you choose to munch on these greens, loading up on spicy oriental mustard microgreens, means loading up on nutrition and receiving the many health benefits they offer. Very tasty and easy to grow, if you start them today, you could be harvesting your own in a week! If you are interested, read on, and I will show you how to grow your very own lovely mustard microgreens at home.
When grown to it’s flowering a seed stage, Mustard is one of the most popular of all of the spices that are traded around the entire world. One of the first condiments, its name is a derivative of the Latin mustum ardens which is actually an allusion to the mixture made by Romans of fruit juice, called must, and ground mustard seeds. It is referred to as the burning or the hot. Usually grown for its seeds which would be pressed for its oil, this crop has been around for a long time. From India in around 1800BC, mustard cultivation practices were passed to Europe by way of Aryan traders. Interestingly, the mustardseed has been mentioned twice in the Quran and five times in the New Testament of the Bible.* And, ba ba ba ba - it’s the inspiration for the name of my news channels: The Mustard Seed News! !
This tender, crunchy, and punchy microgreen has a stunning nutrient profile as mustard is one of the most nutrient dense foods in the world. This green, as are all greens, is a great source of fiber which regulates the digestive system, promotes overall gut health, and controls blood sugar. It is also high in vitamin A, which strengthens your eyes, your immunity, your bones, and reduces your risk of acne and cancer; vitamin C, that also fortifies the immune system, fights cardiovascular disease, and tightens the skin, E, an antioxidant that is, again, great for your immune system, and great for your skin, eyes, and all of your many cells; and vitamin K which helps your bones and blood. Aside from the vitamins, mustard has significant amounts of folate, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, sodium, potassium, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc. It’s even got sodium and Omega 3. It’s got everything you need - and nothing you don’t!
* List of Sacred Quotes Regarding the Mustardseed
And We shall set up balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We as Reckoners. [Quran, 21:47]
O my son! If it be (anything) equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Verily, Allah is Subtle (in bringing out that grain), Well-Aware (of its place). [Quran, 31:16]
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew 17:20
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. Luke 17:5-6
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Matthew 13:31-32
And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.” Mark 4:30-32
Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. Luke 13: 18 and 19
Sources
King James Version of the New Testament
“Mustard (Brassica Campestris L.) Is A Small, Branching, Green-Stemmed, Yellow-Flowered Plant.” Technology Times, 7 Jan. 2021. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=FCZ5TTN20210107.00001&site=eds-live.