Mustard Greens

I haven't planted mustard greens in several years, relying on volunteers -- they seed prolifically (the seed pods are tasty but a little fibrous when green, so not many get harvested, and they dry out quickly). This year volunteer seedlings are numerous, it is getting as dense as a lawn. I'm trying to eat my way through thinning it out -- I probably need no more than say six plants to give me all the leaves I want (and I have a quart jar of mustard green kimchi from last year yet). I'm not entirely sure I'm keeping up with the growth, though. This is one day's harvest.


So I'm finding interesting ways to eat my thinnings:

Day 1: Salad of baby mustard greens, green pepper, cucumber, tomato, vidalia onion, feta cheese and dates; dressed with balsamic vinegar and tuscan herbed olive oil. Came out nice, the feta and sweet components really dial down the sharpness of the greens.


Day 2: Blanched small mustard greens with canned tuna, roasted chickpeas (leftover from another meal) and black sesame seeds (I found them before the white ones), dressing goma-ae-style with chinese sesame paste, mirin, soy and a dash of sesame oil. Note to self: Harvest more when blanching, they really collapse down to nothing. This was another good use, as blanching makes them milder too.


What does the next day bring (probably Friday, won't have lunch at home tomorrow or Thurs)? I'm thinking of a frittata with greens and mushrooms.

We are big fans of using mustard greens in Asian style stir fries; they liven it up a bit more than traditional greens do. Much like the blanching, they will cook down a good bit, but that is our go to for using mustard greens.

Most of the mustard greens that I use are actually pickled and places in beef soupd and pho.

https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/swis ... red-chile/
A mustard green taco recipe I like.

lougord99 wrote:https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/swiss-chard-or-spinach-tacos-with-caramelized-onion-fresh-cheese-and-red-chile/
A mustard green taco recipe I like.

That sounds delicious. I'm trying to keep my lunches low carb, even if other meals aren't, so not sure I'll get to it.

JoelF, can you please give advice on starting a mustard green patch? Those look great, and I'm always interested in things that grow enthusiastically in this climate.

tjr wrote:JoelF, can you please give advice on starting a mustard green patch? Those look great, and I'm always interested in things that grow enthusiastically in this climate.

To be honest, I don't remember whether I bought plants or started from seed. Probably seed. The first year I only had a few plants. But if you let them bolt and go to seed, there they are next year. If you keep them from bolting, you get better leaves in the late season; once they bolt the leaves are smaller and tough.

So honestly, it's benign neglect (some say I get to be-ten or be-leven)

Wednesday: just three leaves added to a pepperoni sandwich (also sage from the garden, chopped pepproncini, and a dab of Kewpie mayo to get it all to stick together).

Thursday: I'm not staying ahead of the growth. One bigger plant was enough greens for one egg, along with some garden chives, queen oyster mushrooms, and feta.

Friday - one of the plants is already bolting, clipped the flowers.

A nice big salad with tomato, cuke, Vidalia, jalapeno, cilantro, tuna and a Thai dressing (lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic). Starting to get the heat off the mustard greens. I'm thinking they'd make an excellent niçoise, need some small potatoes (and more tuna).

Two leaves on my morning toast with Merkt's cheddar. Not getting ahead that way. Will likely sautee some to top a burger at dinner (Bleu cheese and mushrooms is the plan)

JoelF wrote:Two leaves on my morning toast with Merkt's cheddar. Not getting ahead that way. Will likely sautee some to top a burger at dinner (Bleu cheese and mushrooms is the plan)

A good fistful went into dinner as described (but feta, since the bleu had gotten rather fuzzy). Breakfast again used just a couple leaves.

I almost made some namul or goma ae as part of mother's day, but never got around to it. More salad tomorrow.

Cobb salad for lunch - homemade blue cheese dressing, cherry tomatoes, Vidalia onion, smoked chicken, jammy egg, avocado, and of course mustard greens. Really good combo.

Although I've continued with small uses as described above, today I made something with a more substantial quantity:

Greek Mustard Greens Dip
8C Young mustard greens, washed and roughly chopped, large stems discarded.
1/2 large Vidalia onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
4oz feta cheese, crumbled
1C canned artichoke (about 2/3 of a can)
1tsp oregano
Salt and pepper
3tbs Olive oil

Heat the oil on high in a large cast iron skillet.
Add the onion, cook until wilted with a few brown spots
Add the greens and garlic, cook, sitting frequently until quite wilted
Add salt, pepper, and oregano, then artichokes until heated through and maybe a few brown spots on the chokes.
Transfer to a food processor, pulse a few times. Add feta, lemon, then pulse until it starts coming together as a dip. Adjust salt and pepper if needed. Chill before serving with pita chips.

I chop a big bag of Asian greens and herbs at the beginning of each week and mustard is a primary component, either from my garden in the spring/summer/fall or the market during the winter. I eat a couple of handfuls for breakfast every day (half cup of rice, chopped mushrooms and minced ginger crisped in a small cast iron skillet with sesame oil; to which I add the greens, ponzu and a few cranks of Szechuan pepper; then an egg or 2 until cooked but runny then topped with chili crisp.)