Silicon Valley Wild Mustard

The Wild Mustard plant (Sinapis arvensis) grew rampant throughout the
Silicon Valley's Golden Triangle area between highways 101, 880, & interstate
237 my neighborhood as a kid. Before all those High Tech companies were built
these plants thrived wherever there was an open undeveloped field. To me if
there was a flower to represent the Silicon Valley it would be the yellow
flower of the Wild Mustard. The plant I remember from my childhood playing
in the open fields. Before there was the Great America theme park, the Santa Clara
Convention center, Mission Community College and all the high-tech companies in between, there were a lot of undeveloped fields filled with wild vegetation especially the wild mustard plant and that area was the playing field of my childhood.

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Popeye had his spinach but we had our wild mustard greens. Growing up in the Silicon Valley I could remember my parents going out into the open fields around the Silicon Valley to pick the wild mustard. Those plants with the little yellow flowers growing wild everywhere. They used to cook it like spinach. My dad used to fish a lot so we had fish, wild mustard, and Calrose rice. Now that was a good, healthy, and inexpensive meal.

 

 

Studies have shown that mustard greens, like other greens, have anticancer effects. Mustard greens are low in calories and contain a large amount of antioxidants. They provide an excellent source of vitamins B6, C, and E, folic acid, calcium, carotenes, manganese, copper, and fiber.
They also offer a very good source of phosphorus, vitamins B1 and B2, magnesium, protein, potassium, 
and iron.

Today they sell mustard greens at the local Asian and American supermarkets around my neighborhood. I found these mustard greens at the local Safeway supermarket. Left is the curly mustard and right is the Chinese mustard both grown locally in California.

On the right are Mustard Greens I grew from seed in my backyard, Spring 2011. Although I was told you're suppose to pick the leaves before the yellow flowers bloom or else they may be a bit too bitter, I let them grow because I wanted to see the yellow flowers I remember as a kid playing in the Silicon Valley undeveloped fields.

I cleaned and soaked the leaves thoroughly then I boiled them for about 10-15 mins and it taste almost like spinach. Wasn't bitter at all. Every part of this plant is edible and good for you.

Mustard Greens Recipe

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound mustard greens, washed and torn into large pieces
2 to 3 Tbsp chicken broth or vegetable broth (vegetarian option)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil

METHOD
1. In a large sauté pan, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat until the onions begin to brown
and caramelize,about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more, until fragrant.
2. Add the mustard greens and broth and cook until the mustard greens are just barely wilted. Toss
with sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.

Sinapis arvensis, the formal botanical Latin name for the wild mustard plant has it's orgins in Europe. Although the whole plant is completely edible and nutritous to human beings it is poisonous to our livestock.
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