Mizuna is one of the odder greens I grow in abundance this time of year. Think of it as “Japanese mustard greens” for cooking purposes or a milder sort of rocket (arugula) for salad mixes. It’s a brassica so all the usual garden advice surrounding them applies but honestly it’s one of those greens that takes less than zero skill to succeed even from seed. Plenty of water and a steady stream of mild nitrogen-rich fertilizer for greens production does the trick nicely.
I let this handful go a bit far as you can tell from the beginnings of flower tops but my rule of thumb in general is to let one in ten plants go all the way to seed so that I can collect for next year’s crop. I’d be hard pressed to tell you the last time I bought replacements for plants already in my seed bank since you need only regrow a batch every third year or so then keep the results in airtight refrigeration. I also toss in a few of those desiccant pouches you find packed in new electronics and shoes to make sure things stay completely dry. It’s a miniature Svalbard in the bottom of my fridge.
As the season progresses I’ll have more than I can manage to eat in salad form so a big vat of cooked greens will be in order. Standard mustard/collard method applies, namely with a touch of rendered bacon fat and cider vinegar seasoned as the mood fits then cooked down to a mere fraction of their original volume. New potatoes and cornbread are nearly mandatory on that plate.
As you can see the same patch is making me nice fat heads of romaine for the time being and I managed to bake a loaf of my oat bread at midnight when the oven heat was bearable. Salad days of summer indeed. If you need some Caesar dressing I’ve got you covered there too. It’s too hot to cook anything else indoors just now.
