Mustard Greens

The old folk wisdom of the countryside insisted that winter eating led to a deficit of iron in one’s body, and that the table in April and May had to feature spring vegetables to recoup the loss: “We get it [iron] from eating radishes. English peas, onions, and especially from eating a nice mess of greens—mustard greens, spinach, turnip greens, dandelion greens, lettuce, cabbage and salad generally” (1922). Two things stand out about the list: the absence of collards (it was a winter, not a spring vegetable in general estimation) and the primacy of mustard (Brassica juncea) in the list of tonic greens. More than spinach, more than turnip greens, mustard seemed the star of the greens pot. In truth, there was pointed debate about which greens were superior in terms of flavor and nutrition, mustard or turnip. “Turnip greens contain more manganese than do mustard greens. The trouble with turnip greens is that most people never get the greens washed clean. Sand is always in them. You have to wash them and wash them and wash them” (1936). In terms of convenience, there was no argument—mustard greens ruled.