Ruralgoods donated 14 or so wasabi to the lions club plant sale .. here is what we wrote for a folk who buy them. Our wasabi has been growing like crazy .. wish we had enough to sell .. but maybe you'll be lucky enough to find a sushi party here in Southern Oregon.. fresh local fish and local wasabi.. you wish you were here!

Origins: These rare plants came from Wasabi rhizomes smuggled out of Japan in 2001 and were among the highest quality Wasabi available in Tsukiji Sushi Market, Tokyo.

Cultivation: Wasabi does best in partial or non-direct sunlight and a wet environment with sandy soil in order to let the roots grow unfettered. These were grown in a box next to a stream under the Alder trees using 1/2 sand, 1/2 peat moss with some potting soil mixed in. Coconut Husk is also a good additive to the soil to keep it loose and help it hold water. Alder trees are perfect cover as they allow full sun in Winter and partial shade in the Summer. A cheese cloth (or similar) cover could be used during the summer if no natural cover is available. Others have had success by burying a perforated plastic kids play pool and using that as a bed in order to keep the moisture level high. They can do fine in regular pots with potting soil but require regular watering, especially in summer. Use slow release 12-12-12 fertilizer every 3-4 months. Fertilizers high in sulfur will increase the spiciness of Wasabi so a dose of sulfur a few months before harvest will give it a good kick.

Harvesting & Propagation: Wasabi rhizomes come to maturity in around two years, but the leaves can be harvested year around as you see fit. The leaves make a great little spicy addition to a salad, or can be used to line California Rolls or cut fine and mixed with soy sauce as a dip for Gyoza or sushi. When harvesting the root, the nodules and runners should be trimmed and replanted shallowly in very wet soil as many times they'll pop leaves and form a new plant. The root should be mashed (or better yet grated using a sharkskin grater) and served within 10-20 mins for maximum effect. Save the top, split into sections and replant. Odds are good they will start sprouting. Wasabi are very robust in our wet Oregon environment -- they don't mind cutting leaves from time to time and take to replanting partially harvested roots.

Wilting? - Don't worry: Replanting and moving can cause the main leaves to wilt the plant may look dead. Just trim the wilting leaves and keep the root in wet soil. More leaves should appear within a week or so. Wasabi cycles leaves - as more die off, more will appear, so don't freak out. This is why we can harvest the leaves for salads when they reach maturity as they'll eventually die off anyway and more will come. Enjoy!