Brassica rapa
CABBAGE-MIZUNA (XIU CAI or KYONA) is a Japanese green leafy vegetable that has spiky leaves, also called Xiu Cai or Kyona. Here’s an Oriental mustard green that is multi-faceted. Add it to your stir-fries, soups & sandwiches. It has a mild, tender, slightly peppery taste. It grows to around 27 cm tall but you can harvest at 7.5-9 cm for salads, or larger (20-27) for braising. Slender, white stalks bear feathery, serrated leaves. Mizuna grows in most soils & requires little encouragement to thrive. Best sown in late summer, it can also be sown in spring or even autumn if given some winter protection. The main issue with it is that if the weather gets too hot & dry, it bolts like a startled horse. So, it’s best sown to mature in the cooler parts of the year either side of summer. Prefers a well-drained, fertile soil, but grows pretty much anywhere.