Organic red Mizuna seeds to grow as microgreens

Both varieties belong to the same botanical species (Brassica rapa var. nipposinica), but they differ in colour and intensity of flavour. Green mizuna has uniform soft green foliage and a mild, balanced flavour, in the "mild mustard" register. Red mizuna has purple-tinted leaves - thanks to anthocyanins, the pigments also found in red cabbage and blueberries - and a spicier, more pronounced flavour, in the rocket register. Visually, one is zen and soothing, the other more dramatic. In terms of growing, the process is identical: 6 to 10 days, 8 to 9 g of seeds per tray, no soaking.

The purple colour of the leaves and veins comes from anthocyanins, plant pigments also found in red cabbage, aubergine, black grapes and blueberries. Not to be confused with the betalains responsible for the red of beetroot - chemically, they are two different families of pigments, even if the visual effect may look similar. In red mizuna, the colour is most intense on the underside of the leaves and the young stems, and deepens with good light exposure.

Mizuna is a traditional Japanese vegetable plant (Brassica rapa var. nipposinica) grown for centuries in the Kyoto region. Its name 水菜 literally means "water vegetable" in Japanese. Botanically, it belongs to the large Brassicaceae family (the Crucifers), like mustard, radish, cabbage or turnip - and more precisely to the species Brassica rapa, the same as turnip, pak choi and Chinese cabbage. The red version we offer here is a modern selection that pushes visual and taste expressiveness even further.

Sprouted seeds are harvested very early (2 to 5 days), at the rootlet stage, and are grown in a jar or sprouter with daily rinsing. Microgreens go further: they are harvested at the cotyledon stage (the first embryonic leaves), between 6 and 10 days for red mizuna, and only the aerial part, cut with scissors, is eaten. They are grown on a light substrate - in our case, 100% natural ceramic granules. And with red mizuna as microgreens, you get as a bonus that vivid purple hue and spicy flavour that the sprouted seed does not reveal.

Allow about 8 to 9 g of seeds for a standard tray of the GEO Smart Greenssprouter. The 15 g bag therefore gives you 1 crop, and the 200 g size about 22 to 25 crops - enough to have fresh red mizuna microgreens continuously for more than five months.

In practice, allow 6 to 10 days between sowing and harvest. It is one of the quickest harvests in our selection - the Brassicaceae (mizuna, kohlrabi, radish, broccoli, mustard) generally have a shorter cycle than the Amaranthaceae (chards and beetroots), which need 10 to 14 days. Harvest when the shoots reach 5 to 7 cm. If you want fresh spicy microgreens quickly, red mizuna is an excellent variety to go for.

No, it isn't necessary. Unlike chard or beetroot seeds (which are hard seed clusters requiring several hours of soaking), mizuna seeds are small, smooth and germinate quickly without any special preparation. Pour them straight onto the substrate, spray generously on the first day, and off you go.

For microgreens, it isn't ideal. Easygreen sprouters are perfect for classic sprouted seeds (alfalfa, broccoli, lentils, fenugreek...) grown by misting or siphon effect, without substrate. Microgreens, on the other hand, need to be grown on a substrate with bottom watering. That is precisely the function of the GEO Smart Greenssprouter, designed for this process.

Yes, it is one of its big assets. After harvest, you remove the roots, rinse the granules in clean water, and you can start a new crop. The porous structure of the ceramic keeps its absorption capacity over the cycles - up to 5 reuses recommended by Bavicchi. It is frankly more eco-friendly than a single-use peat or coir type substrate.

Ideally, cut them just before serving - that way you get all their freshness, vivid colour and crunch. If you need to store them, put them in the fridge in an airtight box between two sheets of kitchen paper. They keep 3 to 4 days, but their flavour and colour are at their best in the first 24 hours.

A few concrete ideas we use at home with Aurélie: in a raw Japanese sunomono-style salad with daikon or raw ginger; in a fresh seaweed salad such as rehydrated wakame or dulse - mizuna is back on home ground there; in a raw Asian-style bowl (cucumber, avocado, seaweed, black sesame, lime); in a raw "plant-based ponzu" style sauce (tamari, yuzu or lime juice, fresh ginger); on an avocado toast sprinkled with gomasio (on sourdough bread or seed crackers); in a raw maki (nori roll filled with avocado, fresh ginger, microgreens); on a vegetable tartare with sesame and sweet chilli; as a garnish on a homemade black sesame hummus; or as a topping on a green smoothie for the spicy touch that wakes it up. Always add at the end of preparation, raw, to preserve the aromas and the brightness of the purple colour.