Mustard is another dual-use plant, as both the leaves and seeds can be used. The leaves are good to use fresh in salads, but are also good cooked as many other greens (think of kale or collard greens). The greens taste similar to these other greens too, but with a slight mustard or horseradish flavor.
The seeds are used to make mustard, with a little bit of vinegar and water. I haven't done this yet but I would like to learn.
Harvest Time: APR-JUL (in central Maryland)
Spacing: 6"
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Gardening Tips:
Mustard can be planted early in the year, a few weeks before the last frost. Leaves mature quickly and are ready a few weeks after planting, depending on the weather.
The seeds will mature a couple months later - the mustard will send up little yellow flowers when it starts getting warm outside. Afterwards, little pods will appear, growing up (relative to the ground). These will fill out with little mustard seeds, which will eventually turn brown. That's when they need to be picked, and quickly - the seed pods will open up and spread mustard for the next season soon after the pods dry.
Fertilizer Notes:
I don't bother fertilizing mustard too much - I plant my seeds close together, so I don't need them to fill out too much. If I wanted to increase yield, I would try to supplement with Nitrogen, which is the general course for brassica crops
Preservation Notes:
Matt's Garden Notes:
2013: planted about MAR 16. Only about 4.5 feet of row planted as a test. Perhaps in 2014 I will increase in the spring, as Chinese cabbage did not grow well. Started shooting up seed shoots in mid-APR, so perhaps multiple plantings would be better.
Recipes using Mustard:
Refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles
Crab Cakes
Bacon and Kale Quiche
Hamburger Dill Pickles I
Hamburger Pickles II
Sauteed Red Cabbage
Carolina Sauce
Bacon Poblano Mac and Cheese