Blooming in March: White Mustard – Chardal Lavan – חרדל לבן – A Cloud of Yellow

March 2020 ניסן תש"פ

My beautiful rose!

The spring flowers are out in full both cultivated and wild. Along my 100 meters I see (and smell) the most perfect rose, nasturtiums, lantana and bird of paradise.  Wild flowers are bursting out of every untended lot and crack in the wall – wood sorrel (chamtzitzim), sow thistle (maror hagina), cyclamens (rakefot – see my blog) and mustard abound.

This month’s blog will be about white mustard, Chardal lavan, because I would like to think that most of my readers might be able to find it 100 meters from their house!  This is because wild mustard grows intensely in habitats that have had human influence – sides of roads, abandoned fields and building sites. Be careful not to pick and eat it from areas that may have been sprayed with weed killer!. 

Wild mustard comes in many varieties but the focus of this blog is the white mustard.  I can hear you all shouting at me – ‘MUSTARD IS YELLOW, AND your photos are all of yellow flowers!!’.  Yes you are right, mustard is yellow and the flowers ARE yellow however this is still called the white mustard!  I would like to say that after much research I found out why White Mustard is called white mustard but I couldn’t.  One place said that it is because the seeds are light in colour as opposed to the seeds of the black mustard, however the seeds that I have gathered are definitely more dark than light.

Mustard is part of the Cruciferous family or in Hebrew matzlivim.  This makes it is easy to identify because the petals of the flower form the shape of a cross.  Even if you get confused with other cruciferous plants then worst case scenario you will end up eating one of six vegetables that were all cultivated from the wild mustard: brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and kale. (For my mum this is actually the worst case scenario as she hates brussel sprouts with a vengeance).   It grows taller than nearly all the spring perennials (grows back every year), This is the reason that Christian groups that I guide at Neot Kedumim always ask me if they can see the mustard ‘tree’, whose branches birds landed on, as described in the New Testament.  Not only is it tall but it grows in such density that from a distance it looks like a cloud of yellow.

Mustard is the perfect foraging plant (although nothing beats the wild asparagus).  The leaves are edible when young although become very sharp as the plant develops and I recommended chewing them thoroughly as they burn the throat if you swallow them too quickly. They are quite easy to recognize as the leaves are variegated and T shaped.  I like eating the flowers best as they are more subtle and also make such a pretty addition to a salad.  Mustard flowers are not protected and therefore can be picked however it is best to just pick the fully opened flower right at the top and leave the new buds on so that the plant can continue to flourish.  Pop them in your mouth and after a few second you will get a pleasant sharp tang.  You can also eat the new green pods growing out of the side of the stalk, recognizable by their fine white hairs.  Or wait until the summer when the pods dry out and then you can collect the tiny brown seeds.

So what can we use it for?  How about a mustard plaster? Yes you can grind the mustard seeds up into a paste, place on a cloth and place on the chest or swollen and painful joints.  It opens up blood vessels and, draws out toxins, increases blood flow and reduces swelling and pain.  I am a great sufferer of sinus headaches and you can make an inhalation by mixing ground mustard seeds with boiling water and inhaling it from a bowl with a towel over your head.  My head feels clear and pain free after an inhalation.  

Mustard was a big part of my childhood, Friday lunch at home was always frankfurters with mustard and schmaltz (rendered chicken fat!!).  The best takeout was Blooms salt beef sandwiches with mustard.  RIP Blooms, you are sorely missed.  Now I barely eat meat during the week I enjoy a sandwich of veggie shntizel, red pepper and mustard.  

The Old Testament gives no mention of the mustard but The Talmud Babli recommends eating it once every thirty days to prevent sickness in the house, but no more than that as it isn’t so good for the heart!  It was also recommended to be eaten together in the elite houses as an accompaniment to the “gifts for the Priests”.  They are recommended to “eat as the angels eat – roast beef and mustard!”  The Essential Talmud, Rabbi Adin Shteinsaltz.  I always thought that roast beef and mustard was a classic British dish eaten on Sunday lunch but even this dish seemed to have originated in the land of Israel. 

Mustard seed compared to pea!

The tiny seeds in Jewish, Christian and Islamic sources are all a metaphor for something so small having so much significance. This is because the tiny mustard seed grows into the tallest plant and has the most intense flavor.  In our current situation I feel that metaphor can be used to enrich our lives.  At the moment we don’t have the big experiences – shows, restaurants, holidays, parties however we can use this time to appreciate the small experiences. Drinking coffee in the sun, a pleasant exchange with a neighbor or admiring the local flowers.

I think my favorite recipe with mustard is Welsh Rarebit more commonly known as cheese on toast:

·         25g butter

·         1 medium onion, finely chopped

·         1 tbsp flour

·         75 ml Guinness

·         140g mature cheddar, grated

·         1 tsp English mustard

2 eggs beaten

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry onion for 10/15 mins until soft and translucent.
2. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute.
3. Gradually add the Guinness to make a smooth sauce; add the cheese and mustard.
4. Finally add the eggs on a low heat until the mixture thickens. Do NOT overcook or have the heat too high otherwise your eggs will scramble.
5. Your mix is now ready to top on your toast (toast both sides of the bread) or mushrooms and grill.

Recipe courtesy of Michele Levy, friend, fantastic cook and fellow blogger. Check out her blog: lovelondonlovefood

Photos courtesy of Yasmin Maissel, a lovely daughter, a lousy cook and a great photographer

Editing courtesy of Elizabeth Kay From HaChamama Shel Elizabeth, friend, neighbour and my adviser on everything!