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  • How I grow Japanese mitsuba herb all year round

    How I grow Japanese mitsuba herb all year round

    Mitsuba (三つ葉) is known by a few names and the most common would be Japanese parsley. It’s quite similar to parsley in size and appearance. Other names are wild parsley or Japanese hornwort. 

    The name

    三みつ葉 は or Mitsu-ba literally means three objects + leaves (three leaves) or compound leaves with three leaflets. It is often spelt using Katakana in nurseries in Japan. The genus is Cryptotaenia and the species is Japonica. It’s a perennial and part of the celery family. I’ve had some plants live a couple years, but they do generally all dry up here in Australia due to the heat. But with a little care, you can keep it alive. Of course as they get older, their bitterness increases.

    Varieties of mitsuba

    There’s a white and and green variety in Japan but I’ve been used to the white variety from the Kansai region. 

    Growing locations and season

    In Japan mistuba is grown in Shizuoka, Osaka and the east coast around Ibaraki, Chiba, Saitama and Aichi. It’s mainly grown hydroponically (green mitsuba) and harvested about 8 times over the year. There are cut leaf farms and also those that leave the root on the plant when presenting for sale. Peak demand in Japan is in December as it’s used for the new year celebrations. 

    Seed will sprout here in Western Australia in April and plants are pretty much full size  in May. It will grow to almost a meter or 3′ if you give it ideal conditions. In the northern hemisphere at home, it flowers in June-August. You can treat it similarly to parsley, let it go to seed and spread and you’ll have it popping up in the garden each year and staying for another season or so if it’s comfy. 

    The taste

    It’s so unique and I love the tang. It’s got a lovely taste a little like coriander but not as powerful. It’s light, refreshing and can be slightly bitter depending on how it’s collected and prepared. The stems are used in soups in Japan and I love the contrast of the soft crunch of those against the kameboko and steamed vegetables often served with it. 

    It reminds me of Kyoto, cold winter nights and celebration, but with a subtle refined taste. It’s generally presented in such a minimalist way, so the flavour of the stem or leaves stand on their own. I have some memories of it being used in osumashi with tornado cooked egg or in donburi, that’s not a bad combination either. 

    Health benefits

    The leaves have high levels of calcium, iron, potassium, beta-carotene and vitamin A and C. 

    Mitsuba’s scent

    The scent of the plant contains cryptone (compound also found in eucalyptus and mint) and monoterpene which is said to increase appetite, assist with digestion, relaxation and promoting sleep. It contains other essential oils and monoterpenes  such as α-pinene, sabinene, and β-pinene.  

    Possibly why this is served in osumashi at the beginning of traditional Japanese meals. 

    It’s beauty

    I love seeing it pop up in the garden each year (see above, it’s hot here so they die off). The little sprouts come through and I get excited and give them extra care as I weed in between them. I move some to pots to ensure I have a safe supply. Sometimes they’ll get decimated by cabbage white butterfly caterpillars or snails. 

    They’re a hardy thing once established and love the water. They have pretty leaves, grow to a manageable size and the flowers are super cute. 

    It’s just one of those perennials that I allow to go free. It doesn’t take over the garden and it’s so useful in cooking. Plus it’s so easy to manage or just pull out. 

    The flowers

    it has these delicate white flowers that bloom from the schizocarp fruits. They’re super cute as they start off tiny and bloom into basil-like flowers.

    Gathering your mitsuba seed

    Once the seed has dried on the stalks, I cut the dried stalks off carefully with scissors and run my fingers down it to strip it of seeds and put them into a paper bag for storage. You don’t get too much extra plant material, it’s mainly seed by the time it’s dried. 

    Plant your seed

    Plant it into a pot, it doesn’t have to be big to start off. A small 0.5L or 17oz pot is enough to get it started. 

    Sunshine and climate

    Mistuba likes full sun at times and if it’s really hot, part shade is and a cool, temperate climate. If you give it full sun, you might get the strong bitterness in the leaves. 

    Picking your mitsuba

    Harvest the leaves, stalks or root depending on how you want to prepare it. I use the stalks and younger leaves in osumashi. Like parsley, you can just break stalks or leaves off and it will keep producing. 

    Eat your mitsuba

    I had mitsuba often in Kyoto as they blanch the white stalks and add them with small leaves to a clear osumashi soup. I LOVE it and it’s the main reason I sourced seed to get it into the garden. Osuimono (お吸い物) translates to water thing and osumashi is a kind of osuimono. Osumashi generally has a simpler flavour and set of ingredients. Another fave was Japanese clear clam soup (あさりの潮汁), but we’ll talk about that in another blog. 

    Keeping it alive for next season

    Take a cutting and root it in water inside the house. Keep it warm and regrow it like you might for basil. Or, another method is to germinate the seed inside on a silicone mat or in a small pot. It will grow during colder months if you provide warmth, like in the greenhouse. 

    You’ll have mitsuba all year round! Drop a comment if you found this useful!

    Join me on Threads for more or subscribe at the bottom of the page for these posts in your email.

  • Shiso plants two years old

    Shiso plants two years old

    These are shiso plants still going strong two years on.

    These plants have been kept in the their strawberry planter for two years now. I’m surprised tbh just how well they’ve done, as they’ve pretty much been left alone.

    They were grown from seed and I put plants in various locations to figure out how they’d perform.

    Even though the weather had cooled off, here are the results:

    • Plants in pots outside, died
    • Those in the hydroponics, also died. Too much water
    • Plants in half sun, eventually also died off. 
    • Plants under shade – thrived. 

    I’m in Boorloo, Perth in Western Australia and our grow or climate zone is Zone 11a: 4.4°C to 7.2°C. 

    Read my other article on growing shiso from seed. But it seems clear that in our climate zone, they need permanent shade.

    In Omachi in Japan, I remember walking alongside fields of shiso (green and purple) planted out in full sun. Their climate is much more suitable for an open field crop.

    The plants were tall and bushy at 1.5m high. I remember making a mental note to myself at the time to one day achieve a similar kind of field in Australia. 

    These plants in the planter are 50cm tall and due for some fertiliser and TLC. It’s the beginning of Djilba or Spring here, cool and wet with the odd sunny weekend with some warmth. It’s gotta be one of my fave times of year.

    Shiso don’t like being replanted, especially when they’re just getting established. I’ve found that young plants do not like having their roots disturbed or air dried (like most herbs I guess). It’s one of the reasons I haven’t moved these. 

    Also, they’ve continually produced lush leaves pretty much all year. So there’s been no reason change anything.

    I’d like to see how a larger pot improves things though, so I’ll move them carefully and report back.

  • How to make seaweed tea fertiliser for the garden

    How to make seaweed tea fertiliser for the garden

    Seaweed tea is an amazing fertiliser for your garden and has benefits also as a foliar spray, fertilising and protecting. The materials you need are readily available if you’re near the ocean and it’s quick to prepare. 

    If you’d like to research the benefits yourself, check some of the seaweed fertiliser products on amazon or jump on Google and search. 

    Gather your seaweed

    Grab a bucket and hit the beach. The kelp type of seaweed works well but you can use anything. Throw it in the bucket after you’ve removed any sea creatures. 

    Rinse your seaweed

    Rinse off the seaweed with fresh water. You don’t have to, but the salt can be too much for some plants. 

    Leave it in the water

    Put your washed seaweed back into the bucket and fill it with fresh water. Place the lid back on but leave a small gap. Aerobic steeping works faster. Adding an air pump also speeds it up, but that’s not necessary. 

    Mix your seaweed tea fertiliser

    Your water will start to discolour pretty much immediately, but after 24 hours it’s steeped enough that you can extract some and use it on the garden. 

    Put a small amount into a watering can and mix it to a ratio of 1 part tea to 9 of water (yes, my diagram below is wrong!). Try watering around the plants just a little to begin with. 

    Repeat the process

    You can keep the process going for ages. It will get stronger and stronger, so dilute it further as it ages. Test it out on your plants and see how they respond. I’ve found that berries love it!

    Drop a comment if you’ve found this useful or join me on threads for more.

  • How I grow stone fruit trees from seed

    How I grow stone fruit trees from seed

    How I grow stone fruit trees from seed. There’s a huge variety of stone fruit and if you’re lucky to live in a climate where they grown, they’re so delicious and amazing trees to have in the garden. 

    Grab your favourite stone fruit

    In this case I chose peaches. I love the white peaches in particular. It’s a habit I picked up in Japan where the white peaches are so big, they’re a meal in one. Eat your fruit and save the pit. 

    Give it a rinse to get the flesh off, it will be easier to handle.

    Hammer time

    Grab a hammer (or you can use something else solid – a brick) and hit the pit gently on the seam. It will eventually crack open. Hit it repeatedly but gently. If you hit it too hard you’ll likely smash the soft seed inside. It takes practice. 

    Check the quality of your seed. 

    Prepare your seed

    If the seed looks pale yellow and dried up, it is likely a goner. Your seed needs to be round and firm. Put it into some water for a few hours to rehydrate.

    Plant your seed

    last your seed into a pot, a sandy soil seems to be good. 2-3cm or 1″ deep is plenty. Keep the soil moist and put it in the shade. Full sun will likely kill the seed. 

    You got peaches!

    After a month or so, your seed will germinate and a small seedling will grow. Keep it in the shade and grow it to 40cm or 1ft. Bigger if you’d like. Then plant it in the ground in a sunny position, water it often and mulch the base. 

    Put plenty of organic matter in the hold when you plant it. Fruit trees love that. It will take a few years, but eventually you will have grown a beautiful peach tree that bears lots of yummy peaches!

    I’ve grown lots of stone fruit trees this way. I have several nectarines growing via this method at the moment. Good luck!

    Drop a comment below if you found this useful or join me on Threads for more.

  • Grow shiso (perilla) all year round in Australia

    Grow shiso (perilla) all year round in Australia

    Shiso / しそ, also known as perilla, is a popular herb in Japan and Korea and known for its unique flavour and health benefits. While traditionally grown in Asia, it is possible to grow shiso year-round in Australia with a little TLC. Here are some tips to help you successfully grow the shiso herb in your Australian (or elsewhere) garden.

    Getting started

    There are different varieties of shiso with the main two being aojiso (or green Shiso) and akajiso (red (aka) but it’s more purple). Its scientific name is Perilla frutescens var. crispa. You’re more likely to come across the green shiso as it’s by the far the most common.

    The red shiso has a slightly different and more subtle taste, I’ve found when grown here in Aus. It was a lot stronger in flavour in Japan and used more for pickling and other things. Here are the kanji and wikipedia links for the two varieties: 

    青紫蘇あおじそ (aojiso)

    赤紫蘇あかじそ (akajiso)

    Sourcing shiso

    Your local gardening centre may stock some seed packets. Our local one in Perth stocks small packets that seem to be sourced from a Korean supplier. There are a handful of seed suppliers in Australia that also stock the purple when it’s in season. It’s unlikely you’ll find seedlings in your garden centre, it’s just not that popular yet. 

    Happy Valley Seeds have them online, green and red shiso or try amazon. Check your local Japanese or Korean communities or social pages, there’s likely someone selling small plants for a reasonable price. Do Bunnings sell shiso seeds? No they don’t. I can supply you seeds if you’re in Western Australia. 

    Germinating shiso seeds

    The seeds are tiny, less than a millimetre. Think poppy seed size. They’re quite hardy and long lasting though. I’ve stored some for many years and they germinated fine. Because they’re so small, they just need sprinkling across the top of the soil and a very light cover (if any) with seedling mix. 

    So them in spring – early summer as they germinate at around 20 degrees C (68 F). They will germinate in around 2-4 weeks. A light soak in water does seem to improve the germination rate, especially if the seeds have been stored for a while.

    Watering the seed in will mix them enough with the top layer of soil so that you get a strong germination rate. I’ve found the green shiso germinates so much more consistently than the red. They can be germinated in seedling containers and also on silicone mats in a humid container / room using a light water spray or bath. 

    Once you get one plant to seed, you’ll have shiso for life. They’re as hardy as basil and if you leave them in the garden you’ll find shiso popping up all over the place. 

    Let’s talk about shade and light

    Shiso plants require plenty of sunlight to grow and thrive. Make sure to plant them in a location that receives at least 6-8 hours of mild sunlight per day. The Australian summer sun is too harsh for these plants without a giving them a little TLC.

    If you plan to have them out in the mid-summer sun, they need to be well established (well rooted mature plants), have a constant low level of moisture around the roots (deep pot) and some respite from the afternoon light. 

    I’ve had shiso survive out in the summer sun using the combination of environmental factors above. Those plants are still surviving today even though they got some crispy leaf edges. They didn’t receive full afternoon sun, I think that saved them. 

    From my experience, shiso grown under shade (verandah) will produce the best, lush and soft leaves. The harsh aussie sun hardens the leaves up and crisps the edges. They also grow smaller and have less flavour. 

    If you are growing shiso indoors, consider using grow lights to provide sufficient light for the plants.

    Ensure good drainage

    Shiso plants prefer well-draining soil to prevent water logging, which can lead to root rot. Add heaps of organic matter such as compost to improve soil drainage. Plant in raised beds or containers with drainage holes to ensure proper drainage.

    They have a fine root system and so need a some sand to help with nutrient and water transfer. I found that a thin layer of moisture-holding mulch in the base of the pot or bed really helped make them resilient. So when you plant out, put in some mulch first, soil and mulch again.

    Pests

    Just like some other herbs, snails and slugs love a bit of shiso. You will likely need some kind of snail repellant. The main enemy however for us in Australia, is the cabbage white butterfly – or its caterpillar larvae. I’ve found that a net is necessary when the butterflies are breeding. It’s the easiest way to keep them away. 

    Ants also tend to like the sand around the root system. 

    Harvesting your shiso

    Harvesting needs to be done delicately. Shiso don’t get as woody as basil does and so pulling on the leaves too hard will uproot the plant. I use the method the pickers use in Japan because I don’t need a huge volume, and that is to pinch the leaves off with the thumb and forefinger nail. Scissors also make it easy!

    Shiso plants benefit from leaf harvesting. You’ll notice as the plants get taller, the lower leaves will start to brown off and drop. They’re not receiving enough light and will not grow any bigger. 

    It’s best to regularly harvest from the base up, even if you don’t eat them. Pinch off any larger leaves and it will help reduce disease, provide more air flow and keep pests away. 

    Drying the leaves

    Shiso leaves can be dried in the same way as many herbs. Just put them out to air dry, use the oven or dehydrator. I prefer to air dry them. I’ve tested the oven and even on a very low heat it takes a lot of the flavour away. 

    Dry them out till crunchy and then smash them up into a sealable jar. Shiso for life. You can sprinkle this into your meat dishes, salads, cocktails, drinks, ice cream – you name it. Think of it as the herb that sits between mint and basil. 

    Shiso oil

    Using a distilling method (check out Shinagawa Distillery’s method. He uses lab equipment to distill flavours and oils from organic matter), you can extract the shiso oil quite easily. A very interesting process and something I want to test out at some point. I’d love to do this for citrus fruits. 

    Anyway, there is a lot of oil in shiso and it is commercially harvested and sold in bottles for cooking and other things, particularly so in Korea. 

    Shiso recipes

    At this point I haven’t documented any shiso recipes on this blog, but will add them as we go. Try shiso gelato if you get a chance. I mix it with coconut, banana and a little honey, it’s sooo good in summer. 

    Shichimi – includes shiso

    Shichimi is the Japanese word for a common mix of a seven spice used often in Japan.

    Shichimi or nana-bro tougarashi is the name for the seven colour chilli mix – 七色唐辛子. 

    Shiso is one of the seven in the Shichimi mix, and it’s a great mix to try and make yourself if you can grow the set at home. 

    The other 6 may be (it’s chopped and changed) black and white sesame seed, chilli, ginger, sansho pepper, roasted orange peel, aonori, poppy seed and Kuzu peel. You can grab the S&B Togarashi online, S&B is one of the more popular brands. 

    Restart the grow process

    Your shiso plants will go to seed if you don’t pinch the flower spikes off. So if you maintain the right conditions, white flowers will appear very similar to basil flowers. Let the flower spikes dry out and harvest the seed for planting again!

    I’ll keep adding to this as I learn more.

    Drop a comment below If this was useful for you or join me on Threads for more.

  • How to save your fruit trees and plants from the summer sun

    How to save your fruit trees and plants from the summer sun

    I transplanted these two trees a few months ago, well before summer. But it was a warm few months and they were out in full sun. They’ve suffered some burn and all of the small exterior branches have dried up.

    It’s time to give them some TLC as it’s December here in Perth and daily temps are up around 30 – 40C / 85 – 105F. All right, let’s get to work!

    Shade

    Firstly let’s get them out of full sun. The sun here in Australia cooks trees with no leaves and the ability to transpire and draw more water up.

    I moved both of the trees under the back verandah in the shade with no direct sun. They have shade cloth behind them so no sun will hit them at all.

    Water

    Next, I gave them a biiiig drink. They’ve been thirsty and the soil has been drying out by the middle of the day. That means they’ve been cooking for the last half of the day and dry all night.

    I did run the sprinkler over them in the afternoons, but it wasn’t enough.

    Fresh Soil

    Top up the soil. Because of the heat, the soil has dried and compacted and needs a refresh. Lift the plant and soil (root ball) out and add a little fresh soil and fertiliser to the base of the pot.

    Then replace the plant and root ball and add more fertiliser and top it up with soil.

    Mulch

    Cover the soil with a thick layer of mulch. I’m using oaten hay at the moment and it seems to work well. 7cm / 2 inches is good.

    Water

    Water them in again so the fertiliser starts to working the soil and mulch settled down.

    Recovery

    Water it in. Keep the soil slightly moist and within a couple weeks you may see recovery signs if it’s warm. Small green leaves will sprout, a good sign.

  • Wasabi

    What did the bee say to the sushi?

    Wasabi ~ ☺️