Mizuna: The "Green" That Never Gives Up

5 or 6 years ago we purchased a package of seeds for a plant called Mizuna.  What the heck is Mizuna, you ask?  Well, Mizuna is a spicy Asian mustard green with two unusual characteristics. First, the leaves
of the plant are a deep, dark purple.  Second, it self-propagates with remarkable vigor.

That one packet of seeds was planted in full.  Mizuna germinated, grew, quickly bolted, produced clusters of yellow flowers, and went to seed.  The seed pods burst open when dry and the cycle repeated itself, again and again.  We've never bought another packet of Mizuna seeds, but every year we usually get a couple harvests of Mizuna.

2020 is no different.  Mizuna germinated in the garlic beds in late fall.  They overwintered with ease thanks to the mild temperatures we experienced, and in late February they took off.  By late March they were already throwing up flowers.

What do you do with Mizuna?  You can certainly eat it raw.  These are mustard greens, so the longer you let the plant grow without harvesting, the spicier it gets.  The buds and flowers are a special treat for me, as they are nearly as hot as wasabi.  Mrs. Rabbit prefers her Mizuna cooked, which removes most of the spiciness.  We like to chop them into small pieces and cook them simply with butter, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Pre-bolting, the whole plant can be eaten except for the root.  Post-bolting, the central stem becomes too tough, but the leaves, buds, flowers, and the top of the stem are still tender.

We've already harvested and eaten Mizuna from the garden twice in the past month.  We will guarantee more crops by letting a couple plants fully mature and throw off seed, and then not weeding the seedlings when they emerge.  Thankfully, they are easy to identify with their purple leaves.

Do you have volunteer plants that keep on appearing each year in your garden?  Are they a bane or a blessing?