Mustard Seeds - Growing

Inside this pod, the seeds form in a single row, separated by a thin membrane.

One healthy mustard plant can produce 1,000 to 2,500 seeds. From a 10-foot row, you can harvest about half a pound of seed. Part 8: The Alchemy of Flavor (The Science of Pungency) Now you have the seeds. But why do they taste like mustard?

This is the most stressful part of growing mustard. As the pods mature, they turn from green to tan to brown. At the "brown" stage, the pod becomes a loaded spring. The slightest touch—a gust of wind, a bird landing, a brush of your sleeve—can cause the pod to twist violently and explode, flinging seeds up to 10 feet away. mustard seeds growing

The plant enters the . All leaves grow in a tight circle at ground level, hugging the soil. Why? Protection. By staying low, the young plant avoids wind damage and grazing animals.

Around week 4 or 5, the plant stops hugging the ground. It sends up a central stalk—a process called . This stalk can grow 2 to 4 inches per day in ideal conditions. Inside this pod, the seeds form in a

After two weeks, you thresh the seeds. Take the dry pods and rub them vigorously between your hands or put them in a pillowcase and beat it against a wall. Winnow the chaff by pouring the mixture in front of a fan—the heavy seeds drop straight down, the light chaff blows away.

Within two weeks, a plant that was a 4-inch rosette becomes a 3-to-5-foot tall shrub. The small seed becomes a "tree" (or at least, a very large herbaceous plant) where "birds of the air come and find shelter in its branches." Part 8: The Alchemy of Flavor (The Science

Have you grown mustard before? What’s your favorite way to use the seeds—ground into paste, tempered in oil, or pickled whole? Let me know in the comments below.