Mache - "Mosh" She Loves the Cold!

It's December 1st and I'm harvesting fresh greens - in Northern NJ!

The temperatures are almost freezing and the winds are damp and bone chilling, but these lovely little Mache plants (pronounced "mosh") are perky and ready to brighten up the dinner salad.

I discovered Mache when researching cold hardy plants on the Hudson Vally Seed Co. website. These plants can withstand temperatures as low as -20 degrees F. They're tough for sure, but I'm planning on putting in a low tunnel and providing them with a little protection against the wind and freezing rains.

My plants are smaller then mature plants should be, which is 15cm across, mine are about half of that. This may be because I sowed the seeds when it was too warm. The temperatures need to be between 50F and 70F. I should have planted them in late September when the temperatures were cooler. Whatever the reason, we were also experiencing drought, my mache didn't start growing until mid October. They only had a short growing season because the daylight hours got too short to promote growth. The time period when there is less than 10 hours of daylight a day is called the Persephone Period. During this time plants growth slows and then stops. This is a term coined by organic gardening guru, Eliot Coleman. He writes about this in his book, "Four-Season Harvest". During this time (starting early November for me) the plants slow and then stop growing. Mache needs about 60 days to reach maturity, so next year I will be sure to plant them in late September when the temps start to cool off so that they get to grow for a full 60 days before the Persephone Period begins. But for this year, these little beauties will stay this size through the winter.

Mache is a powerhouse of nutrition too! They contain antioxidants including Vitamins A and C.

This lovely green contains Vitamin K which is good for maintaining bone mass and Zeaxanthin which can help protect the eyes. Every season I include something new in my garden, I'm so happy to have found this one...it will become a staple.