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Season: Green: Spring & Summer. Seeds: Summer

Urban, Rural or Both: Both

White Mustard (Sinapis alba). I can't speak for other than Southern Ontario, but if most of the East is like here, you will never have a problem finding this plant. This plant has a long held reputation in Europe as being very healthy to eat.

Do not mistake this for the Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) which I do not recommend for eating either the seeds or greens, though it is a traditional spice and green in Europe. See here for more on why. The seed pods look very similar in both the White and Garlic Mustard. Garlic Mustard has white flowers, and the leaves are smaller and more diamond shaped.

Greens

The greens picked when young in the spring make a nice addition to most anything you would use greens in. They go very well in stir fry's. They are both a green and spice, as the taste has some zing to it, but not too much. Some chopped up and added to soups is very good.

Seeds

The seeds from the White Mustard is one of the ingredients that the condiment Mustard is made of. The other ingredients are Black Mustard seed (Brassica nigra), turmeric and vinegar. You can use the seeds to make your own mustard, or just gather a few seeds, toast them and use in dishes.

This seed is great for gathering, and keeping in a breathable container and using when needed for cooking for a bit of zing to the taste. Just put a few in a hot (not ridiculously hot) pan, roll them around until lightly toasted, and add to stir fry's, soups, baked dishes, whatever you like. You don't have to toast them, but I think they do taste better toasted. You could also make your own mustard, but as one who has tried, and considering the cost of the pre-made mustard, I won't recommend it.

Growing this plant in your home garden:

For detailed growing instructions, go to my Wild Foods Home Garden website Mustard page.

Description:

• Plant Size: Up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall
• Duration: Annual
• Leaf Shape: Simple to compound leaf. Overall Ovate to Obovate, If simple, with deep lobes in opposite pairs and a single lobe and the end - however, the lobes can be uneven and of varying depth. If compound, there are no stems on the leaflets, they look like the lobes became so large that the leaf blade divided into leaflets. Can be uneven and not symmetrical. The leaflets at the lower end of the leaf are the most separate. Very often the lower leaflets are fully separate from the upper part of the leaf, while the upper part is hard to describe whether it is very deep lobes or separated into leaflets - this one is a category buster as far as simple/compound goes. Best to study pictures of this one on the net to get a feel for the general shape.
• Leaf Phyllotaxis (Leaf Arrangement) on branch: Alternate
• Leaf Size: Up to 8 cm (3 1/3 inches) long by 4 cm (1 2/3 inches) wide
• Leaf Margin: Large, uneven Serrated (saw toothed edge) where many of the serrations border on being small lobes
• Leaf Notes: A highly variable leaf in shape.
• Flowers: At ends of top and side stems, clusters of 4 petalled bright yellow flowers often with long narrow upward bending seed pods below. As flowers mature and die, they leave the pods to mature with seeds and more flowers appear on the stem above the pods.
• Fruit: Seeds are nearly spherical, light tan to light brown. In distinctive mustard family type pods that are thin, narrow with a row of seeds inside.
• Stem: If you look closely at the stem, normally you will see it has reddish-purple thin lines running along the stem. Stem and leaf stems are hairy.
• Habitat: Full sun, decent quality not soaking wet soil, and likes nutrient rich soils, manure, compost or nitrogen fertilizer will make a big difference. Overall, simple to grow, in fact, mostly known as a "weed" now. Very common on the edges of farm fields where the animals are fertilizing the soil, but the plants are not bothered by animal or machine.

• Recipe search on the web here (Google search) and here (Bing search).
• Pictures on the web here (Google images) and here (Bing images).
• USDA distribution map and plant profile here.
• The Biota of North America Program (BONAP) distribution map here. BONAP map color key here.

Black Mustard (Brassica nigra).

Do not mistake this for the Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) which I do not recommend for eating either the seeds or greens, though it is a traditional spice and green in Europe. See here for more on why. The seed pods look very similar. Garlic Mustard has white flowers, and the leaves are smaller and more diamond shaped.

The greens picked when young in the spring make a spicy addition to most anything you would use greens in. They go very well in stir fry's and most other meals, but due to how strong they are, only use a little and only use the greens in the spring when they are young. Small amounts chopped up and added to a lasagne is very good. Small amounts in soups works very well as a spice.

Growing this plant in your home garden:

Scatter seeds where you want them in the spring and lightly rake. Make sure it is full sun and rich soil. They don't like really wet soil, and you will get more if you have manure in the soil or fertilize after the have come up about 15 cm (6 inches). They love nitrogen and respond well to it.

For detailed growing instructions, go to my Wild Foods Home Garden website Mustard page.

Description:

• Plant Size: Up to 2.5 meters (8 feet) tall
• Duration: Annual
• Leaf Shape: Lower and basal leaves: Obovate with opposite lobes of varying depths, but with the terminal lobe the biggest. Lower leaves are larger than leaves higher up the stem. Upper leaves: Lanceolate to Elliptical to random shaped. Can be lobed or not lobed.
• Leaf Phyllotaxis (Leaf Arrangement) on branch: Alternate
• Leaf Size: Up to 25 cm (10 inches) long by 7.5 cm (3 inches) wide.
• Leaf Margin: Small, pointy Serrated (saw toothed edge)
• Leaf Notes: A very highly variable leaf in shape and size. Lower, larger leaves have widely spaced, stiff, short, white hairs. The same leaves will only have hairs on the central vein.
• Flowers: At ends of top and side stems, clusters of 4 petalled bright yellow flowers often with long narrow upward bending seed pods below. As flowers mature and die, they leave the pods to mature with seeds and more flowers appear on the stem above the pods.
• Fruit: Seeds are nearly spherical, black or dark brown. In distinctive mustard family type pods that are thin, narrow with a row of seeds inside. Pods are upward sloping to almost facing straight up.
• Stem: Smooth, green with red blotching.
• Habitat: Full sun, decent quality not soaking wet soil. Fields, waste areas, ditches.

• Recipe search on the web here (Google search) and here (Bing search).
• Pictures on the web here (Google images) and here (Bing images).
• USDA distribution map and plant profile here.
• The Biota of North America Program (BONAP) distribution map here. BONAP map color key here.

Field mustard (Sinapis arvensis). Known also as Wild Mustard and Charlock. Though it can be used for the greens in the spring, I find I prefer the taste of the White Mustard greens, and I never have a problem finding them.

• Pictures on the web here (Google images) and here (Bing images).
• USDA distribution map and plant profile here.
• The Biota of North America Program (BONAP) distribution map here. BONAP map color key here.

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