Arugula is extremely strong flavored

[ruth]

Is anyone here growing arugula?  Have you noticed how much stronger tasting it is than the stuff sold in stores?  Why is that and is there any way to make it milder tasting?  Arugula used to be my favorite lettuce variety and I find that I cant really enjoy the arugula that I am growing!  Giant bummer.  It is more than just spicy, mine is actually bitter.  I tasted some inner smaller leaves thinking they would be milder than the large outer leaves, but the smaller leaves were actually a lot worse.  Has anyone found a good use for this stuff cuz its really going to take over if I put it into a salad.  Thanks! 

[Shawn]

I have never grown Arugula before. 

However some things I have learned about lettuce and it being bitter is that if you harvest the day of or within two days after giving nutrients, that it very well may taste bitter.  This is due to the uptake of nutrients.  It is said the best time to harvest is right before feeding or wait at least three days after.

[Happy]

Ruth, 
I've encountered the same problem with the arugula that I grow -- it's much stronger than the arugula I get in restaurants. It even smells strong!

But since it's so healthy, I still grow it in a Harvest or two so I can add just a little to my dishes.

[clumsythumbs]

I could be wrong here, but I think with Arugula, the larger you let it get, the milder. I know baby arugula is spicier than its more mature compatriots. I love arugula and want to grow, but have not yet had the opportunity. How much are you using in a salad? My favorite uses are:

- mixed in and as the basis of some cuban black beans and fried eggs (for brunch). put a little layer of arugula and spinach, top with hot black beans and the fried egg(or eggs). It wilts slightly and the spicy and bitterness lend some flavor to it. 

-mixed in with salad-- a handful of arugula, a handful of spinach and then however much lettuce to round it out with other veggies.

-on a sandwich

The thing about it is even though we eat as a 'salad' green it is actually an herb related to mustard. So my feeling is that the commercially grown arugula is watered down version of what it is supposed to be...

I find it more palatable mixed with a lot of other stuff. On its own, it can be a lot. I like its flavor and also for its detoxifying and anti-inflammatory properties. 

[ruth]

Thanks for your responses, guys!  After I wrote about this here, I looked up why its so unpleasant and I found that there are two main types of arugula, the wild and the cultivated.   The wild kind is the way it was originally, but the cultivated is now made more palatable to our taste today.  They bred the bitterness out of it!  Every once in a while, I will just snip off a single leaf and taste it, hoping that the flavor will improve.  They baby leaves were extremely unpleasant.  Way stronger than the larger outer leaves.  Surprised me, I thought it would be the opposite.  Baby lettuces are usually so yummy to me.  It is a very healthy looking plant so I dont want to dump it just because Im not used to it tasting this way. I have read that if I saute it with a bit of honey it may become more enjoyable.  I also read that I can make it into pesto or use it as an herb instead of as a veg.    

[Happy]

May 20, 2019 12:00:23 GMT -5 clumsythumbs said:

I could be wrong here, but I think with Arugula, the larger you let it get, the milder. I know baby arugula is spicier than its more mature compatriots. 

Very interesting!

[anne]

Im so glad to read you!! I also had that problem of very strong tasting arugula and i too tought i had to eat them when small, im starting another round in my 6 pods AG and i will try it again

[ruth]

I ended up yanking it out of the aerogarden and planted the whole thing, plastic, pod, label and all in my outside garden. Space inside the aerogarden is too valuable to be wasted on a plant I dont enjoy.  Its just so strong and bitter!  Its my favorite type of lettuce, but I cant eat this plant.