Shungiku Edible Chrysanthemum

Nutritious AND beautiful! 

A pretty flower beloved by florists for cut flowers and bouquets, Shungiku is also a nutrient-packed aromatic, mildly bitter green vegetable popular in Asian - especially Japanese - cooking. 

The frilly leaves begin with a mild bitterness and become more bitter with age, especially once flowers form.  So harvest young for salads, and use older stems to steam, boil, blanche, stir-fry, or use in tempura, stews, hot pots, and komatsuma (Japanese mustard greens).

Use the pretty yellow & white flower petals fresh or dried, sprinkled over soups and salads, and as a garnish.  Kikumi, a Japanese pickle, is made from the flower petals.

Sow as cut and come again or single plants.  For continuous harvest of milder leaves, keep the flowers pricked.

Seed anytime from March to Sept. (staggered plantings will yield a continuous harvest). Full sun to partial shade, best in cooler weather. Sprinkle seeds in a row or block and lightly cover. To harvest greens, cut with scissors 2-5cm from the ground; greens will grow back for a second harvest. 25 days from sowing to maturity.

Certified organic in British Columbia. IOPA # 1606, 1105, 1920.