Wild about Wild Arugula

I am wild about wild arugula. I love it for its intense spiciness, its healthfulness, its companion plant abilities, its hardiness and groundcovering nature. It suits our sustainable lifestyle for its multi-facetedness & that it is a low maintenance plant.

Wild arugula is laden with antioxidants. It has much more than common arugula. The plant’s spicy aspect is caused by glucosinates which are sulfur and nitrogen compounds that give cruciferous (brassica) veggies their bitter flavor and sometimes pungent quality. It is high in vitamins A, C and K.

It is welcomed into permaculture gardens, as it makes a wonderful weed blocker, it is persistent through drought, deep heat and poor soil conditions. And as it is so prolific, I often pull some up from the roots and plant it in other areas to spread its magic & helpfulness.

This perrenial plant is native to the Mediterranean. And, it is a member of the mustard family.

It grows here in the desert all year long, even through the 110+ temperatures.

It aerates the soil and breaks down quickly for a ‘green manure’ in our compost pile or as chop and drop around the plants. It indirectly feeds nitrogen to the soil as the lower leaves brown, fall to the ground & disintegrate into the soil.

This leafy vegetable has few pests and it draws pollinators with its yellow blooms.

This type of arugula works beautifully in a homemade pesto alongside basil. We eat it regularly with freshly-laid eggs from our hens.