SALADSHARE #1 'Green in the snow'

'Green in the snow' (Brassica juncea), snow cabbage or ‘Shi-li-hon’ in Chinese, is a type of mustard plant that’s grown for its edible leaves that are jagged-edged with a mildly spicy flavour. It is an annual plant that belongs to the cruciferous family. It is also commonly known as Oriental mustard or Chinese mustard and originates from Southern China.

It is best sown in late summer, or early autumn, and is a good, frost hardy winter plant. If you harvest a few leaves at a time, you should have an ongoing supply of them throughout the leaner winter months and into the hungry gap. Since it’s a cool season plant, it will start to bolt and develop an unpleasantly spicy flavour in warm weather.

If adding the raw leaves to a salad, it’s a good idea to finely shred them and mix them with other salad leaves. This works better with younger leaves, as more mature leaves will get spicier, and will need cooking to mellow out the heat. The leaves are also used for pickling – you can ferment them in a salty brine, and then use to flavour stews or soups.