Mizuna

Brassica rapa subsp. nipposinica

leaf

Fine, deeply cut leaves of a Japanese brassica, with a faint mustard taste; raw in salads or just wilted. They provide lutein, vitamin K1 and glucosinolates.

Origin

Japan (Kyoto region)

Season (United States)

September to April · grows in your region

Preparation

The leaves are washed and eaten raw in salads, or tossed into a soup or stir-fry at the last minute, just wilted. It grows at ground level and catches the splashes of watering: washing it leaf by leaf, in plenty of water, beats a quick rinse of the whole bunch. Most of its goitrogens go with cooking, even a short one.

Molecules

Lutein and zeaxanthin · Glucobrassicin → I3C · Vegetable nitrates · Vitamin K1 · ChlorophyllWhat slows things down Goitrogens

Did you know?

Its name, 水菜, means “water vegetable”.