What do mustard greens taste like?

Hot peppery mustard — much stronger than mizuna, similar to a fresh mild radish or wasabi. Heat varies dramatically by variety and age: young leaves of mild varieties (Green-in-Snow) are gently peppery; mature leaves of hot varieties (Red Giant, Wasabi mustard) are strongly hot raw. Cooking reduces the heat by 50–80% — even the hottest leaves cook down to a manageable warmth. Best uses: stir-fries, braising, pickling, Indian saag, kimchi. Use young leaves sparingly in salads.

Is mustard greens the same as mizuna?

Same family, different species, different flavour intensity. Mustard greens (Brassica juncea): broader leaves, much hotter peppery mustard flavour, often cooked. Mizuna (Brassica rapa var. nipposinica — see separate mizuna slug): feathery leaves, mild peppery, mostly eaten raw in salads. Both grow under identical conditions (cool season, direct-sow, susceptible to slugs and flea beetle). Many UK gardeners grow both for the contrast.

When can I pick mustard greens?

4–8 weeks after sowing depending on size wanted. Young leaves (10–15 cm, 4 weeks): for cut-and-come-again salads in small quantities. Mature leaves (20–30 cm, 8 weeks): for cooking. Whole plants: harvest at 8–10 weeks for stir-fries and braises. Year-round picking from autumn-undercover sowings: October to March from a September-sown crop under cover.

How do I cook mustard greens?

The most common UK preparation: stir-fry with garlic and chilli for 2 minutes — cuts the heat, retains crunch, dresses with soy sauce and rice vinegar. Braising: 10 minutes in stock with bacon or pancetta, classic American Southern style. Saag: traditional Indian preparation — long-simmer with onions, garlic, ginger, chilli, finish with cream or yoghurt. Pickling: salt-pack young leaves Korean-style for kimchi. Soup garnish: a handful of young leaves stirred into ramen or pho in the last 30 seconds.

Why does my mustard greens crop bolt so fast?

Heat + long days. Mustard greens bolt to flower in summer conditions. Sow in cool months only: March–May for spring crops, August–October for autumn–winter. Skip June and July entirely — midsummer sowings will bolt before producing usable leaves. Under cover in September is the best UK growing window — short days, cool temperatures, slow steady growth from October to March.

Can mustard greens survive a UK winter?

Yes — particularly Green-in-Snow which is bred for it. Outdoors, mustard greens crop until first hard frost (-3°C+), then survive as small plants without growth until spring. Under a cloche or polytunnel: continuous cropping through winter, from October to March. The autumn-winter undercover window is the most useful UK growing season for mustard greens — no flea beetle, no cabbage white, no bolt-risk, slow steady supply of tender greens.

Hortaliça de mostarda

Brassica juncea

Sow mustard greens direct from March to October, in sun or part shade in moist soil — they're fast-growing cool-season leaf brassicas with a strong peppery hot mustard flavour, used in stir-fries, salads (very young leaves), pickling, and the classic Asian condiment. Mustard greens are hardy (RHS H4–H5) and at their best in cool weather; midsummer sowings bolt to flower quickly. Red Giant (large burgundy-red leaves, hot wasabi-like flavour) and Green-in-Snow (very hardy, mild–medium heat) are the popular UK varieties. Pick young leaves for salads (mild peppery), older leaves for cooking (much hotter — cooks down to a milder kick). Cooks down dramatically — a bowl of mustard greens reduces to a few tablespoons. Sow under cover in September for winter cropping through to March.

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