Broadleaf Jízài / Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella Bursa-pastoris Var. Integrifolia) seeds

Botanical Name: Capsella bursa-pastoris var. integrifolia

Common Names: Broadleaf Shepherd’s Purse, 荠菜 (Jízài), Naengi (냉이)

If you love Asian greens or foraging for wild foods, you probably know Jízài (荠菜) or Shepherd’s Purse. It’s a classic Asian culinary and European heritage green, famous for its sweet, earthy, slightly peppery flavour.

Unlike modern shop-bought greens that have been bred for shelf-life, wild-origin greens like Shepherd’s Purse hold onto their original nutritional kick. They’re packed with far more Vitamin C, Iron, Calcium, and antioxidants than standard store lettuce.

The trouble with wild shepherd’s purse is that the leaves are small, prickly, deeply lobed and a pain to wash. But over 10 years ago, a rare smooth-leafed seedling popped up in my garden. I’ve saved seeds from it every season since. Genetically, this green has a variety of phenotypes and has amazing adaptations depending on its growing environment, but now the seed I collect pretty much only produces the rare broad-leafed, smooth variety.

This green has been used extensively in Asian cuisine and is an indication that spring is upon us! Commonly used as a wonderfully fragrant addition to wontons, spring soups or Korean naengi dishes in Asia, and a medicinal herb in Europe. Long before spinach or lettuce hit farm shelves, European peasants harvested shepherd’s purse in early spring as a nutrient-dense “pot-herb” for broths and pies. Its seed pods were even dried and ground as a wild mustard substitute! Medieval midwives and herbalists relied on it for spring vitality, and its English name comes from the tiny heart-shaped seed pods that resemble a medieval shepherd’s leather coin pouch. It has mild hemostatic and diuretic properties, making it a wild medicine too!

This seed packet will contain approximately 1200 seeds, enough to plant several garden beds, and it’s a great quick green to grow during the hunger gap. The second image on the listing shows how much seed will come in a packet, they are measured by volume rather than counted.

The seeds are tiny, so surface sow in cool weather and spritz with water. Germinate these similarly to other very small herb seeds (e.g thyme, oregano or mint). It is a very low-maintenance plant and generally does not require fertilising or watering after the seedling stage. *NOTE: Germination is probably the hardest part of growing this plant! You will have more success if you already know how to grow other herbs from tiny seeds. But the plant is self-sowing after they flower in the first season!

Allow some of the plants to flower and self-seed in your garden beds (they produce tiny white flowers on long stalks), the seedlings will pop up year after year in winter or spring!