Rakkyo, also known as Japanese Shallot, Chinese Scallion, etc, is native to China and grown in many countries. Rakkyo is mild in flavour, and can be served pickled or fresh. When cooked fresh, it is very sweet and mild. The leaves can be used as well, much like garlic chives. When cured, the flavour becomes stronger and ideal for pickling.
Mizuna is a type of Japanese mustard green, but unlike other mustard greens it's much more mild. Mizuna (水菜) means 'water green' in Japanese, and when you eat it, you can see why! Its crunchy and mild; a bit reminiscent of ice berg lettuce. It's also very versatile. You can eat it as a salad, pan fry it with vegetables, or add it to hot pot.
Fava shoots are the green tender tips of the fava plant (yes, the ones you can harvest fava beans from). They have a nutty flavour and jam packed with nutrients. One of the first vegetables you can harvest early in the spring, before other vegetables are ready. You can cook them just like pea shoots.
At Brave Child Farm, we grow Hakurei Turnips, a dependable and delicious turnip. When you hear turnips you may be thinking those dense turnips that need to be roasted, but these ones are sweet, tender and absolutely delicious eaten raw or simply sauteed! My daughter eats them like apples, right out of the ground (... well after its washed).
One of the best things about growing garlic is the scapes (maybe even better than the garlic themselves)! Garlic scapes are the tender flower stalks from hardneck garlic, and taste more mild than garlic cloves. The best way to describe them may be 'asparagus with a garlicky flavour'.
Shishito is a type of green pepper from Japan and is very mild. You may occasionally get a spicy one, but the variety grown at Brave Child Farm is specifically known for being mostly mild (I have yet to encounter a spicy one with this variety). Shishito is mild, soaks up flavours, and holds its shape well when cooked. It is a very versatile vegetable and can be used in many ways; from tempura to stews, and sauteed to eaten raw in salads.
Japanese leeks are not leeks at all but a larger variety of the Welsh onion. Think of them as a giant green onion. They may have a strong onion taste when raw, but once cooked they become sweet and mild. These types of green onions take almost a year to grow.