OSTRYAK

Ostryak is a biennial plant from the cabbage family. In its first year, it forms a semi-erect rosette with a diameter of 23–25 cm and a height of 15–20 cm. The weight of one rosette is approximately 50–70 g. Inside the rosette are 22–25 green leaves with a dissected shape, up to 9 cm long and up to 4 cm wide.

In the second year, the plant develops a flowering stem 20 to 60 cm long, on which yellow flowers form in a raceme inflorescence. The fruit is a pod containing small gray seeds.

Young Ostryak leaves are eaten as cress: they have a tender blade and a spicy taste. Leaves are harvested 50–60 days after germination until frost in the first year, and in the second year until the flowering stem appears. The recommended planting scheme is 15×30 cm, which provides a yield of 1.0 to 1.4 kg/m².