Rocket it is a leafy vegetable which is eaten fresh in salads and is characterized by a marked spicy flavor.
It is a very simple species to grow in the garden: it grows quickly and has good resistance to bad weather, so it can be harvested for most of the year. can be easily stored also in jar with excellent results.
Some tips on how and when to pick arugula leaves can be useful, so that we have the best flavor and also the greatest productivity, we will also see some advice on how to store this salad after harvest .
Contents [Ocultar]
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When I pick up the rocket…
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collect rockets all year round
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Flowering and pre-flowering
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Harvest and itch
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How to pick up the leaves
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save the rocket
Contents
pick up the rocket
Arugula is a leafy vegetable, so you can’t wait for it to ripen (preservation of the fruit) and you can pick the leaves at any time.
But there’s a better time to catch them, actually:
- The very young leaves are very good (tender and delicate) , but since they are very small leaves, picking them means harvesting very little, in terms of quantity. It is better to wait until they grow up.
- Leaves that are too old can be too irritating, until they taste less pleasant, coarse and even with a bitter hint. So don’t expect too much.
The right time to pick is when the leaf is about 10cm long.
From the moment of seeding, the rocket is ready to harvest within 4-6 weeks .
However, apart from these rules in a family garden, the time of harvest is dictated by the need for consumption : if you want to eat arugula, you can take it even if it is 6 cm high, if on the contrary you don’t need it, let it grow up to 15 cm.
Receive the rocket all year round
The rocket has a great prerogative: can grow almost all year round . Indeed, it is a very hardy plant, which resists the cold well and can therefore also be kept in the winter garden, we can say that arugula is always a seasonal vegetable. However, there are some precautions to be taken if one wants to lengthen the useful period.
To germinate it needs 18-20 degrees, its ideal temperature is 15-20 degrees, it can withstand up to 5 degrees. She does not like the heat, above 25 degrees she suffers and with arid heat she can go into pre-flowering.
Therefore, it is advisable to use a greenhouse or a cold tunnel during the winter (from October or November, depending on the area, and until February), alternatively non woven fabrics they can also help. This makes it possible to harvest even in the cold season.
As well summer This is a time when rocket factories can have problems: constant irrigation and shade networks they turn out to be very good.
Flowering and pre-flowering
Being a biennial plant after the first year, it will go to seed. The leaves of a flowering arugula can be eaten but are of much lower quality, so flowering usually ends the harvest. You can let the fruit ripen, to obtain the seed that will be useful for starting a new rocket plantation.
As already mentioned flowering can also take place early if the plant is in unfavorable climatic conditions, especially the risk is in the dry summer.
red and spicy
We have seen that arugula leaves are p spicier if you wait to pick them up it is important to specify.
The flavor of arugula depends not only on the time of harvest, but also on the variety planted: there is the wild rocket spicier, and the adult rocket a much more delicate variety.
Also, depending on the type of soil, the climate, the irrigation can have more or less pungent rockets.
How to pick up the leaves
Picking arugula leaves is very simple : only a knife is needed cut the leaves at the base. The important thing is to fly on the neck without damaging it. In this way the rocket plant will germinate and in a few weeks we will have a new harvest.
In the crop cycle, the rocket usually shoot 5-8 times it thus guarantees regular sheet production.
keep the rocket
Arugula leaves spoil quickly, like most salads. For this reason, it is certainly best to harvest just before use.
The ideal storage is in the refrigerator better wrap the leaves in a tea towel , which will act as a humidity regulator. This way we can keep it for a week then it will begin to waste away.
If necessary, the arugula can be washed and frozen.
A great idea to use is making an arugula pesto , to be used as a savory sauce. The pesto pot can also be crushed.