Mustard Greens
Published: 2020-01-01Tags: от лехата до устата, Дива кухня, Листни зеленчуци, зелении в кутии
Translation
This is a translation of a Bulgarian-language post. It conveys the content faithfully but is not the author's original English writing.
Ever since I began bringing salads and greens to the market, it has struck me that the Bulgarian buyer still treats MUSTARD GREENS — this incredibly useful, peppery, crunchy vegetable, also known as leaf mustard — with a certain mistrust. So I decided to give it a well-deserved introduction, since it really is one of the most nutritious leafy vegetables, and besides being eaten raw in salads or green shakes and smoothies, you can prepare with it extremely tasty, healthy and, above all, lightning-fast dishes.
But first, a few facts:
Mustard greens belong to the Brassica (Cruciferous) family, which also includes cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, turnip and others. Scientific name: Brassica juncea. Its lovely green or reddish leaves actually contain more vitamins A and K, carotenes and flavonoid antioxidants than most typical fruits and vegetables.
The mustard plant is native to the sub-Himalayan plains of the Indian subcontinent, where it has been commonly grown for its leaves and oil seeds since ancient times. Mustard is a plant of cool weather and gives an excellent harvest in the cold months. Its tender, crunchy leaf mass, as with spinach and other greens, is a storehouse of many phytonutrients that have a range of health-supporting and disease-preventing properties.
Mustard greens are very low in calories (27 calories per 100 g of raw leaves) and fat. Yet their dark-green leaves carry large amounts of phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. They also contain a great deal of fibre, which helps control cholesterol levels by preventing its absorption in the intestines. Dietary fibre aids peristalsis and thus protects against haemorrhoids, constipation, and colon cancer.
The greens are excellent sources of vitamin K. 100 g of fresh leaves carry about 257.5 µg, or around 215% of the daily requirement of vitamin K-1 (phylloquinone). Vitamin K has been found to have a potential role in building bone mass by stimulating osteoblastic activity in the bone. It also has an established role for Alzheimer's patients, by limiting neuronal damage in the brain.
Mustard greens are a rich source of antioxidants such as flavonoids, indoles, sulforaphane, carotenes, lutein and zeaxanthin. The indoles — primarily diindolylmethane (DIM) — and sulforaphane have proven benefits against cancers of the prostate, breast, colon and ovaries, by hindering the growth of cancer cells and having a cytotoxic effect on them.
The fresh leaves are also a modest source of the B-complex group of vitamins, such as folic acid, pyridoxine, thiamine, riboflavin and others. 100 g of fresh leaves provides about 12 µg (around 3% of the daily value) of folic acid. This water-soluble vitamin has an important role in DNA synthesis and cell division.
Mustard leaves are also excellent sources of vitamin C. 100 g of the fresh leaves provides 70 µg, or about 117% of the amount needed for the day. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a powerful natural antioxidant that offers protection against free-radical damage and flu-like viral infections.
Mustard leaves are also incredible sources of vitamin A (providing 3,024 IU, or 101%, per 100 g). Vitamin A is an essential nutrient needed to maintain healthy mucous membranes and skin. Consuming fruits and vegetables rich in flavonoids helps protect against cancer of the lungs and the oral cavity.
Fresh mustard greens are an excellent source of several essential minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, selenium and manganese.
Regular consumption of mustard in the diet is known to prevent arthritis, osteoporosis and iron-deficiency anaemia, and is considered to offer protection against cardiovascular disease, asthma, and cancer of the colon and prostate.
I hope you are now convinced that it is worth including mustard greens in your menu, so now I will also give you a super-quick and tasty recipe for preparing them, which you can freely adjust to your own taste; and online you can find many others (search for "Mustard greens recipes").
I will let you in on one more secret — all the greens we offer from Grown with Love can be prepared this way: kale, chard, beet leaves, turnip or romanesco leaves — always a guaranteed tasty result; and because of the minimal heat treatment, you do not lose so much of the precious nutrients.
Mustard greens — varieties "Horned", "Osaka Purple" and "Dragon's Tongue" — you will find in abundance in our spicy salad mix, as well as in bunches in spring and the autumn-winter season.