Wasabi (Eutrema japonicum) - live plant

• A live, rooted plant
• Kitchen-garden and ornamental plant for damp shade
• Packaging suited to live plants

The green paste served in the vast majority of restaurants is a mixture of horseradish, mustard and colouring. Real wasabi is rare and expensive because it is difficult to grow and keeps poorly.

Its heat is of a different nature: it rises sharply up the nose, then fades within a few minutes, without the lingering burn of horseradish. This heat only exists when freshly grated: it forms at the moment the cells of the rhizome are torn, and it fades away in about a quarter of an hour.

Eutrema japonicum belongs to the Brassicaceae, the cabbage and mustard family. In its natural habitat, it grows along Japanese mountain streams, in the shade, its roots bathed in cool running water.

It forms a rosette of large round leaves on long stalks, above a vertical rhizome that slowly thickens.

Reproduce three conditions and the rest follows: shade, coolness and constant moisture. Wasabi hates direct sun and heat, and cannot tolerate drying out.

Plant it on the north side of a wall, under tree cover or at the edge of a pond, in soil rich in organic matter that stays moist without being waterlogged. A range of 8 to 20 °C suits it. Above 25 °C for prolonged periods, it suffers.

The rhizome takes 18 to 24 months to reach a worthwhile size. It is a crop that requires patience.

Does it need running water?
No, that is a persistent myth. Growing in moist, shady soil works; it simply produces a slightly less regular rhizome than traditional cultivation in a riverbed.

Can you eat anything other than the rhizome?
Yes, and that is good news when you are waiting two years. The leaves and stalks are edible and have a milder heat.

Why is my wasabi turning yellow in summer?
Almost always because of heat or direct sun. Move it into cool shade and keep the soil moist.

How long before harvest?
Allow eighteen to twenty-four months for a decent-sized rhizome.

Also worth exploring: our aromatic and edible plants and our rare plants.