The spicy, crunchy leaves of mustard (aka leafy mustard) are indeed some of the most nutritious green leafy vegetables around. These greens contain far more vitamin A, carotene, vitamin K, flavonoids and antioxidants than most other fruits and vegetables consumed.
This crunchy, leafy vegetable comes from the cabbage family, which also includes kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and many other vegetables. Fresh mustard leaves are dark green in color and broad, flat leaves with jagged or corrugated edges, depending on the cultivar. In addition to mustard leaves, mustard seeds are currently used in cooking as a spice.
Prophylactic agent
Even if you are not sick with anything and have perfect health, the beneficial properties of mustard are worthy of including this ingredient in your diet. The fact is that mustard, like spinach, is the richest storehouse of phytonutrients that play a critical role in promoting general health and preventing a wide variety of diseases.
Fresh mustard leaves are an excellent source of many vital antioxidants and minerals such as vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, carotene, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, selenium, and manganese. All this makes mustard leaves an invaluable product for strengthening the immune system and resisting all kinds of sores.
Slimming
Mustard, like almost all greens, is very low in calories (only 26 kcal per 100 grams of fresh leaves) and fat. At the same time, mustard leaves are very rich in fiber, which is recommended for blood cholesterol control and weight loss. Due to its high fiber content, mustard leaves help to significantly reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in the blood, which is very important for men and women with overweight problems, as well as for most diabetics.
In addition, the fiber in mustard leaves is a good defense against hemorrhoids, constipation and colon cancer.
Mustard leaves - for older men and women
The beneficial properties of mustard for men and women of advanced age are due to the fact that mustard is one of the richest sources of vitamin K in nature. 100 grams of fresh mustard leaves contains about 497 mcg, or 500% of the daily value of phylloquinone vitamin K1. This vitamin plays a very important role in strengthening bones and joints, which is especially important for older people. In addition, the same vitamin is an essential tool for the treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease, and for the prevention of this disease, which is also important for seniors.
The benefits of mustard for women and men
Mustard leaves are especially important for women during pregnancy and in the short period before conception. The fact is that fresh mustard leaves are the most important source of folic acid. This water-soluble vitamin plays an important role in DNA synthesis. Regular consumption of mustard leaves (or any other food high in folate) shortly before conception and during early pregnancy helps prevent neural tube defects in a baby. This is a very important beneficial property of mustard for women.
However, mustard does not forget about men either. It is a rich source of flavonoid antioxidants such as indole and sulforaphane, which are essential for the prevention of prostate and ovarian cancer. Moreover, the systematic consumption of mustard leaves helps to stop the progression of the above cancers if they are found in the early stages of development.
In general, due to its high content of natural antioxidants, mustard provides effective protection against free radicals, which, again, helps to resist the formation of cancerous tumors.
In general, why mustard is not useful - the beneficial properties of this green vegetable are truly universal. So, the inclusion of mustard in a regular diet helps prevent arthritis, osteoporosis, anemia, cardiovascular disease and even bronchial asthma. In short, eat mustard leaves - and you will be healthy!
Some argue that mustard sauce is the only one made from a plant that is often cultivated by ordinary gardeners. But there is also mustard salad - and not only that, the seeds of which are used for the production of mustard powder, hot sauce or seasoning.
Mustard leaf can be used as a fresh product for making salads, as well as for preservation for the winter.
Vegetable crops are so diverse that you often get lost in their abundance. Modern gardeners grow salad mustard using different varieties and pursuing different goals. Someone likes canning, while others - to make fresh summer salads with a spicy taste. This plant has another name - mustard salad. Varietal salad mustard differs from wild varieties: it is characterized by whole leaves and short stature. And now you can get acquainted with the most popular varieties of mustard culture.
Popular varieties
Salad mustard is a variety that grows early and indulges in a juicy harvest of greens. The plant has a voluminous and slightly spreading leaf rosette and elongated oval leaves. Their diameter is 32 cm. They delight the eye with a pale greenish color and smoothness. This salad tastes tart and spicy. The weight of one outlet is 80 g. From 1 sq. m you can collect 2 kg of waves.- Freckle
This variety is early, it produces lush, juicy greens in a month. The plant grows up to 30 cm and weighs 170 g. This variety has large, slightly wrinkled leaves of a dark green color with red veins. In terms of taste, the mustard is slightly spicy, the leaves are tender and juicy. Freckle gives from 1 sq. m 3.6 kg of crop. - Mushtarda
This plant grows very quickly. Greens are harvested after 25 days. The rosette is 20 cm high. In order to get more harvest, mustard is sown every 15 days until August 15. Due to the spicy flavor of lettuce leaves, it is used to prepare side dishes and vegetable salads. From 1 sq. m is collected 3 kg.
- Mustang
This variety has an average ripening period. The term of formation is 35 days. The rosette has large red-green whole leaves. They reach a height of 30 cm. The rosette has a weight of 60 g. From 1 sq. M. m you can collect 4 kg of spicy and juicy greens. - Adorable
This variety yields very early, literally 20 days in greenhouse conditions, and if the soil is open, you will need a month. The plant has the shape of an upright rosette, its diameter is 15 cm. The leaves are pale green and ovoid, covered with a waxy bloom. They have a special tenderness and juiciness, as well as a pleasant weak spicy taste. From 1 sq. m you can collect 3.4 kg of lettuce leaves. - Vigorous
And we are pleased with the salad mustard "Vigorous". This variety is also practiced by gardeners. In salads with mayonnaise sauce, the pungency of such a spice disappears, but it gives the dish a rich flavor.
Beneficial features
Surely not everyone knows that salad mustard is also an old doctor. The fact is that this plant contains useful components: ascorbic acid, magnesium, iron, potassium and many other minerals, as well as vitamins, proteins, fiber, mucus and mustard fatty and essential oils.
Mustard is low in calories, so it is also a dietary culture and generally has a beneficial effect on the human body. Salad mustard has:
- anti-inflammatory;
- protective;
- cleansing action.
Moreover, it is an antioxidant.
Mustard leaves tend to stimulate appetite, have a beneficial effect on the digestive organs, metabolism and help to lose weight.
Harm and contraindications
Although this plant is rich in micro and macro elements, and is also known for its beneficial properties, it is able to harm the body. Therefore, you cannot eat mustard leaves:
- if there is an individual plant intolerance;
- with diseases of the gallbladder and kidneys;
- if funds are taken that promote blood thinning;
- also while taking calcium;
- with an ulcer of the gastrointestinal tract;
- in the presence of severe heart disease.
It is not recommended to use the spice in large quantities for pregnant women, otherwise edema may appear. Nursing mothers should forget about this plant altogether, as the child may develop an allergic reaction.
Salad mustard tastes like horseradish, green salad and mustard sauce. It has a piquant aftertaste, so pickled blanks delight us with sweet and at the same time spicy shades.
Thanks to salad mustard, fresh salads from vegetables, fish and meat have a piquant taste and aroma. And also its leaves are ideal for sandwiches, decoration of ready-made dishes, they can be used with boiled eggs and put in soups. In addition, salad mustard can be preserved for the winter and served as a separate dish. Delicious pickled and salted mustard salad leaves.
Mustard can be a good service both in the garden and in the kitchen. To do this, you need to decide on the type - white, black or salad (Sarepta). What mustard looks like: a white variety plant has feathery leaves arranged in pairs. The top leaf is three-lobed. Flowers are collected in yellow or white inflorescences. It usually blooms in summer and produces seeds in August. The variety is more suitable for greening the site.
Black mustard is distinguished by leaves that do not have featheriness, but are more smoothed and whole.
It is called black for the color of the seeds used to make table mustard. For culinary purposes, it is considered the best, as it contains many essential oils that give flavor to sauces.
The Sarepta variety is versatile in cultivation and use. Oil is made from Sarepta mustard, used in cooking for the preparation of sauces, namely, Russian mustard in jars, added to salads in a green form, grown at their summer cottage for the improvement of plants and soil. The leaves are similar to the white variety; mustard flowers are also collected in yellow or white inflorescences.
Mustard seeds in cooking - indications and contraindications
Fatty acids are the main asset of the mustard plant. It is in them that all fat-soluble substances are contained - vitamins A, E, D. There are also trace elements - calcium, iron, zinc and others.
Burning substances increase appetite and metabolism. Once in the body, it has an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial effect. Therefore, the use of mustard is indicated for weakened people with low immunity, recovering from illness.
Carefully! If you overdo it with fresh seeds, you can provoke a natural cleansing of the body - diarrhea, since they have a laxative effect
Mustard sauces are best combined with meat dishes.
Application in cosmetology
When losing weight, sagging skin is often observed in problem areas, therefore mustard is used for various masks and wraps. In salons, this procedure is also available, but it is not cheap, since gruel is first prepared from seeds and leaves, with which the skin is then treated.
Video: All about mustard
Mustard masks promote blood flow to the hair follicles, which affects hair growth and condition. Mustard oil is added to masks for problem skin. The bactericidal substance can help get rid of acne and blackheads.
Mustard in medicine
Mustard potions are used not only by folk, but also by traditional medicine. Everyone knows mustard plasters, which are used to treat colds, neuralgia, hypothermia, bronchitis.
A bath with crushed powder warms up well and quickly heals from a cold and flu, while improving the condition of the skin.
The oil is taken to lower blood cholesterol levels and prevent the formation of intravascular plaques.
A contraindication to admission is a predisposition to high blood pressure, gastritis and increased acidity of the stomach, renal failure or pelvic stones, active tuberculosis, acute pneumonia.
Mustard as siderat - benefits and harms
The mustard herb is considered a weed and is destroyed. But in vain, since its presence on a personal plot is the safety of the plants, among which it grows.
Growing a mustard plant helps reduce the manual labor involved in digging and loosening the soil. The grass has a long root, after which there is no need to dig up the soil. The principle of sideration is as follows:
- Plants are planted densely so that there are many roots in the soil. After mowing the upper aboveground part, the roots rot in the soil, giving up the nutrients that they pulled from the deep layers of the soil. In this case, tubules remain, through which air and water enter the depths.
- Greens are used as they grow for composting, for feeding animals and birds, for laying in the soil before planting vegetables, for mulching and feeding growing crops.
- The plant is planted between tomatoes, potatoes, peppers so that beetles eating crops do not multiply.
In terms of nutritional properties, green fertilizer is equated to manure, which has its negative points: first of all, the cost, which cannot be compared with the cost of 1 kilogram of seeds, which can be used to plant a plot of land with an area of up to 6 acres.
And finally: if anyone has seen how mustard grows in the field, he will definitely want to see the same beauty in his country house.
The plus is that, in addition to beauty, mustard has many other useful characteristics that will be useful on the site and in everyday life.
Did you like the article? Share with your friends:Mustard- an annual spicy plant, a representative of the family of the Godfathers. Salad mustard, as this plant is also called, has large leaves of various shapes, covered with villi (see photo). Some mustard varieties have wavy leaves. The average plant height is 30 cm, Japanese varieties reach 60 cm. Scientists call China the homeland of leaf mustard. Fresh mustard is very popular in the cuisine of countries such as China, Japan, India.
Growing
It is possible to grow leafy salad mustard even in our climate, although, unfortunately, the plant is not as popular in our country as in its homeland. Mustard prefers loose soils, where it gives high yields, undemanding mustard can grow in different soil conditions. Legumes such as peas, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers are considered good predecessors for this plant. Mustard propagates with the help of seeds; it can be planted both in a greenhouse and in open ground. The seeds are sown in early spring or for the winter, the sowing depth is approximately 1.5 cm. Before emergence, the mustard can be covered with plastic wrap.
Care for mustard comes down to regular watering, weeding and fertilizing. The plant tolerates short-term drought well, but still in order to to get a good harvest, it is better to water mustard on time and regularly... Mustard is harvested after the seeds have ripened. It is better to store the harvest of mustard in the refrigerator, after washing it and putting it in bags. The seeds are harvested from mature plants by threshing the testes. The seeds are stored in a glass jar.
Beneficial features
The beneficial properties of mustard leaf are that it is a natural cardioprotector. The leaves of this plant contain protein, calcium, vitamins A, C, E. Scientists consider mustard leaf a plant that significantly affects the condition of a patient with cardiovascular diseases. Regular consumption of mustard leaves protects against heart disease and lowers cholesterol. Mustard holds the record for folic acid content (about 500 mcg per 100 g).
Mustard leaves - effective cancer protector, they are rich in antioxidants with anti-tumor activity. Mustard contains quercetin, kaempferol and other active ingredients. It also has powerful anti-inflammatory properties due to its high content of vitamin K, unsaturated omega-3 acids, glucosinolates.
Mustard leaves contain some mustard oil, which gives the product its characteristic flavor and aroma. Mustard oil stimulates appetite, has a beneficial effect on the digestive processes. Mustard salad leaves increase the secretion of gastric juice... The calorie content of the product is 26 kilocalories per 100 grams. The low calorie content of mustard and its beneficial properties allow it to be used in the diet. Mustard will add spice to dishes and help diversify the diet. Mustard leaf contains a lot of vegetable fiber, thanks to which it improves intestinal peristalsis.
Salad mustard contains vitamin C, which makes it an excellent antiscorbutic agent. The substances that mustard leaves contain, increase the elasticity of blood vessels, prevent the deposition of cholesterol plaques. From mustard seeds, oil is obtained, which is usually used for food and medicinal purposes. Mustard oil was served at the table of Catherine II, it was considered a royal delicacy. This oil is a good bactericidal agent, it is resistant to oxidative processes. Mustard oil is good for the cardiovascular system, improves immunity, protects the cells of the body from free radicals. Regular use of this oil together with salads has a beneficial effect on the digestive process, improves the patient's condition with hepatitis, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, cirrhosis.
Cooking applications
In cooking, mustard leaves are indispensable in the preparation of salads, appetizers, and meat dishes. The decorative appearance of the product allows it to be used to decorate sandwiches, fresh salads before serving. In America, mustard is used in steaks, while Italians make a pasta with mustard salad.
Salad mustard tastes like green salad, spicy mustard and horseradish. Mustard leaves add spice to the dish and can replace hot mustard in some recipes. The leaves can be eaten fresh and are great for green and vegetable salads. If the mustard leaves are cooked, they can be added to various fish and meat dishes. Mustard is also harvested for the winter, pickled or canned.
Mustard salad leaves are actively used in the food industry. Mustard is used as an emulsifier in the production of sauces and mayonnaise. At home, mustard salad can be prepared simple and savory salad... To do this, scald 200 grams of fresh mustard leaves with boiling water, then cut them and season with mayonnaise. You can also prepare a special dressing for the salad from 2/3 tbsp. water, boiled together with vinegar, black pepper, bay leaf, 1 onion and a spoonful of vegetable oil.
Juicy mustard is great for cooking sandwiches... Thinly sliced bread slices are fried a little, spread with butter, then mustard leaves, a boiled egg, pieces of cucumber, tomatoes, a little dill and parsley are added. From meat products, you can add slices of bacon, sausages to sandwiches.
Mustard leaf benefits and treatments
The benefits of mustard salad are known in folk medicine. Its leaves are used for the preparation of ointments and compresses. Compresses are prepared from mustard powder, which remains after pressing the oil. Mustard plasters have long been used for the treatment of colds, also they will crease with bronchitis.
Hippocrates recommended mustard for the treatment of bowel and urinary tract diseases. Mustard with honey helps with chest diseases, chronic cough, and mushroom poisoning. Mustard seed powder can be added to a foot bath for a colds onset. The mustard powder added to the bath improves blood circulation well. For a mustard bath, you need 200 grams of powder.
The harm of mustard leaf and contraindications
Salad mustard can harm people with diseases of the gallbladder and kidneys... Mustard leaves contain oxalants, which negatively affect the patient's condition with these diseases. These substances also interfere with the absorption of calcium, but this does not pose a threat to healthy people.
In fact, many people have never heard of mustard leaf ( Brássica júncea) from the family Cabbage.
These large leaves with jagged or corrugated edges, warm aroma and pungent taste have a beautiful hue (from emerald to deep red and purple). They are incomparable fresh as part of various salads.
Proteins, iron, calcium and potassium, phosphorus, copper and manganese, vitamins A, C, E, B6 and K - this is not a complete list of nutrients in mustard leaf.
The lack of cholesterol and saturated fats, low calorie content (26 calories per 100 g) with a good fiber content - make these greens an attractive dietary product.
Benefit for health
- Effective cancer protection. Green mustard can play an important role in preventing the world's most dangerous disease. Many fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants with anti-tumor activity, but it is mustard that is distinguished by a whole range of such substances acting in combination. In addition to vitamins, these are the following phytonutrients: hydroxycinnamic acids, quercetin, isorgamnetin, and kaempferol.
- Anti-inflammatory properties. Fresh leaves have amazing anti-inflammatory properties due to the presence of vitamin K, omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linolenic acid) and glucosinolates (sinigrin and gluconasturtiin).
- For the heart and blood vessels. If you are at risk for cardiovascular disease, be sure to include it in your diet. Its greenery works wonders!
Progressive studies prove that mustard glucosinolates and folic acid effectively protect against heart and vascular diseases and lower cholesterol levels.
By the way, in terms of folic acid content, mustard leaf (500 mcg for every 100 calories) is second only to turnips.
Possible harm and contraindications
Mustard contains oxalates - an undesirable ingredient for people with kidney and gallbladder problems. They also interfere with calcium absorption.
In healthy people, the product does not cause side effects.
Culinary reference
Quite spicy and fragrant mustard leaves feel great in vegetable salads with corn, beans and other leafy greens nearby.
Americans love to eat them with steaks, while Italians make amazing pasta salads.
For example: chopped mustard greens, pine nuts, goat cheese, and a drop of olive oil.
