White mustard (Sinapis alba) - seeds - On everyone's lips for millennia

White mustard, botanically *Sinapis alba*, is an extremely versatile and fast-growing spice and utility plant from the cruciferous family. Known for its bright yellow flowers and piquant seeds, it is not only excellent for making your own mustard or for seasoning, but also serves as a first-class green manure for soil improvement.

Scope of delivery: 20 / 50 / 200 seeds each

The plant grows upright and branched, reaching a height of 60 to 120 centimeters depending on soil conditions. The ideal location is sunny to partially shaded. White mustard has few requirements for the soil; normal, permeable garden soil is perfectly sufficient. As an extremely low-maintenance crop, it generally does not require additional fertilization and only needs to be watered during prolonged dry periods. Due to its rapid and dense growth, weeds are suppressed naturally.

The seeds serve as a classic, mild seasoning for pickled vegetables, such as gherkins and pumpkins, or can be ground and processed with vinegar and water into fine mustard paste. After just a few days, the seeds can also be grown as piquant sprouts on the windowsill. The young leaves are also edible and give fresh salads a pleasant, radish-like sharpness.

In horticulture, white mustard also plays an outstanding role as a green manure. Its deep roots loosen compacted soil, while the lush foliage protects the earth from drying out and erosion. Special varieties are used specifically for the biological control of nematodes (roundworms). The plant dies off in winter, so the remaining organic residue can be easily dug in as natural fertilizer in the spring.

White mustard originally comes from the Mediterranean region and can look back on thousands of years of cultivation history. In antiquity, the plant was highly valued by the Greeks and Romans as both a remedy and a tasty spice. It was the Romans who eventually brought mustard across the Alps to Central Europe during their military campaigns. In the Middle Ages, mustard was one of the very few pungent spices that were affordable for the general population. It was cultivated in almost every monastery and cottage garden to make heavy meat dishes more digestible and to enhance an often simple diet. Today, the plant is widespread in many temperate climate zones worldwide and is deeply rooted in European culinary tradition.