Rocket or Arugula, an herb from the mustard family, comes from the Mediterranean region. Its leaves have a peppery, mustard like flavor, and are high in vitamins A and C as well as being a good source of iron. Aphrodisiac potions containing the oil of the arugula seed were common for centuries; oil of arugula also provided an excellent flavoring. Part of a typical Roman meal was to offer a salad of greens featuring arugula, and vendors in 14th century Florence sold these greens as a topping on toasted bread. Arugula is now grown in most parts of the world, though Italian cuisine features it most popularly; it is typically used in fresh green salads, in pesto, or lightly sauteed.

Below are a few ideas you could experiment with in your kitchen:

• mix in any salad
• use in wraps
• make pesto or hummus
• top pizza with it
• add it to pasta
• use with burgers

Leave one seedling to grow per plant pod and these will sprout within 7-14 days and will be ready to harvest in 5-6 weeks. Rocket grows best at temperatures of 17°-23°.

The first leaves can be harvested about two or three weeks after planting, when they reach 50 to 60 mm  long. The smaller leaves have a more tender texture and delicate flavor than the larger leaves, which can be quite peppery and intense in flavor; cut the leaves just above the soil, removing the outer leaves first. By the time the plant develops flowers the leaves may be too bitter to eat, though the flowers are also edible and make an excellent garnish. The harvested leaves quickly lose their freshness and should be used within about 6 days. Before storing them, rinse the leaves thoroughly to remove any sand and dry them well. They can be stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.

If your Arugula starts to flower, you can use these edible little white flowers to garnish your dishes.

Plant in full sun or partial shade.Arugula can tolerate light frost, but if heavy frost comes, provide protection for the plant.For a continuous harvest, plant a new crop every 2-3 weeks until the heat of summer; arugula tastes best when grown as a spring or fall crop, since excess heat causes bitterness in the leaves. For a fall crop, plant the Eruca Sativa seeds in late summer.

Arugula also grows well as a container plant, or throughout the winter in a greenhouse or cold frame.