Perilla, Early Select Kkaennip (Organic)

Perilla frutescens. 70 days leaves, 120 seeds.

A classic Korean perilla / kkaennip, with strongly flavored green leaves reminiscent of mint and basil. This type of perilla is an essential green in Korean cooking. Leaves can be used in many ways including pickled as Kkaennip Kimchi or used as wraps similar to using lettuce or napa cabbage. Perilla is sometimes grown for its seeds, which are highly nutritious and full of edible oil that can easily be pressed. We sourced our strain of Kkaennip from a somewhat generic Korean seed packet and found those seeds produced a few plants that matured seed better in our climate and latitude. Perilla is day-length sensitive and producing seed has been challenging here in Oregon. We hope to select this variety further to make growing it easier at our 44°N latitude. Japanese varieties of perilla are known as shiso and were once thought to be a different subspecies but the two types have been shown to share a gene pool. Perilla is also used in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, and is one of the 50 fundamental herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine where it is called “zi su.” Aka, deulkkae or sesame leaf.