Mizuna

Mizuna is a frilly, elegant green with long, thin, deeply serrated leaves. It is native to Japan and has been used there for centuries as a “water” vegetable grown in flooded fields.

Mizuna is now grown and used around the world, primarily as an ingredient in salads, especially when it is tender and still at its baby stage of development.

It has a peppery, slightly bitter flavor.

It can also be used in stir-fry and soups. It is often pickled, lightly sautéed, or cooked in nabemono, Japanese hot pot.

It’s very tolerant to both low and high temperatures and was grown experimentally on the International Space Station in 2019.

That’s because it’s also very nutritious -- low in calories but high in several vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, C, and K. Two cups – 85 grams – of raw mizuna provide 2 grams of protein, 3 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 222 percent of the daily requirement of Vitamin A, more than 100 percent of Vitamin K, 12 percent of Vitamin C, 12 percent of calcium and 6 percent of iron.

 It is a rich source of antioxidants, which protect your cells against damage from unstable molecules called free radicals.