'Moutarde Rouge Metis' Asian Green - Brassica juncea

'Moutarde Rouge Metis' Asian Green – fast-growing leaf mustard with delicate spiciness and attractive appearance. 

This variety is a fast-growing leaf mustard with intensely red, finely serrated leaves and light green stems. Its flavor is moderately spicy with a pleasantly tangy mustard aroma. Frost-tolerant, high-yielding, and versatile, it is well suited for open field, greenhouse, and pot cultivation. Open-pollinated, easy to grow, and robust – proven for self-sufficiency and organic farming.

  Origin & History

‘Moutarde Rouge Metis’ is an open-pollinated, more recent European selection of the species Brassica juncea, which originally comes from India and Central Asia. There, mustard greens have been cultivated for centuries both as an oil plant (mustard oil from the seeds) and as a leafy vegetable, forming a central part of Asian food culture. The species Brassica juncea belongs to the family Brassicaceae and is closely related to other Asian brassicas such as Mizuna, Tatsoi, or Pak Choi.

The variety Moutarde Rouge Metis itself was developed as a targeted selection in France in the late 20th century (1980s). It was introduced to the European market with the aim of creating a decorative, open-pollinated mustard green variety with a medium-spicy, aromatic flavor. Thus, it is based on the traditional plant form of mustard greens but represents a modern advancement with a special focus on appearance and taste. Today, Moutarde Rouge Metis is maintained, propagated, and preserved as a freely accessible, open-pollinated variety by organic seed initiatives. It is considered a valuable addition to the diversity of Asian greens and contributes to safeguarding the genetic breadth of Brassica juncea in organic vegetable cultivation.

  Appearance & Characteristics

The plant grows upright and reaches a height of about 50 cm. It produces numerous finely serrated leaves and is winter-hardy down to -10 °C.

Leaf details:

• Size: Medium

• Form: Finely serrated, oval to lobed

• Color: Intense red with green stems

• Texture: Tender to firm, depending on harvest time

• Flavor: Moderately spicy with pleasantly tangy mustard aroma

 Usage & Cultivation Highlights

‘Moutarde Rouge Metis’ leaves are highly versatile: young leaves enrich salads with a delicate, spicy aroma, while older ones develop a stronger mustard sharpness. They are suitable for steaming, cooking, and stir-frying, add aromatic notes to soups and stews, and are traditionally also pickled or fermented. Thanks to their intense red-green coloration, they are also visually striking.

With good cold tolerance and resilience, ‘Moutarde Rouge Metis’ grows reliably in open field, greenhouse, and pots. Easy to care for, cut-tolerant, and productive, it delivers stable yields even at cooler temperatures over a long period. The variety also impresses with rapid development, resistance to common leaf diseases, and adaptability to different soils and climates. It can be sown densely for cut salad or spaced more widely for single plants, allowing flexible cultivation. Its uniform leaf growth ensures continuous harvests, and the decorative red coloration makes it excellent for direct marketing and home gardens.

Compared to other Asian greens, ‘Moutarde Rouge Metis’ is especially decorative, high-yielding, and cold-tolerant – ideal for those seeking open-pollinated salads with delicate spiciness and exceptional appearance.