Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon has taken on an unusual task aboard the International Space Station (ISS): growing and harvesting his own food.
Menon recently posted a video showing him and fellow
astronaut Jessica Meir collecting kale and wasabi mustard greens cultivated inside the space station. The crops were grown for about a month as part of NASA’s research into producing fresh food during future long-duration space missions.
In the video, titled “Chez ISS, Cooking on Space Station with Jessica and Anil,” the astronauts turned their harvest into a meal, giving them a rare farm-to-table experience hundreds of kilometres above Earth. Menon described it as potentially the best meal they had prepared aboard the ISS.
Watch The Video Here
Chez ISS – Cooking on @Space_Station with @Astro_Jessica and Anil
On this episode we give you farm to table, simple, and delicious. This Kale and Wasabi Mustard was grown on ISS over one month. We harvested several leaves and put them to the test. It might be the best meal we… pic.twitter.com/Oq9narSiu9
— Anil Menon (@astro_anil) August 17, 2026
What Did Anil Menon Grow?
“On this episode we give you farm to table, simple, and delicious. This Kale and Wasabi Mustard was grown on ISS over one month. We harvested several leaves and put them to the test. It might be the best meal we have cooked so far,” Menon said while sharing the video.
The experiment uses NASA’s Veggie plant-growth system, which helps scientists understand how plants respond to the conditions of microgravity. Such research could prove vital for missions to the Moon, Mars and other destinations where astronauts may spend months or years away from Earth.
Freshly grown vegetables could supplement packaged meals, offering astronauts additional nutrients while also improving their morale during extended missions. Growing crops in orbit could eventually reduce the amount of food that needs to be transported from Earth.
Menon also drew a playful comparison with ‘The Martian’ character Mark Watney, saying, “Mark Watney would be proud.”
“Thanks to the NASA veggie team for guiding us through the growth process and providing simple skills that could help provide food for future space travel. Mark Watney would be proud,” the tweet further read.
The experiment offers a glimpse of how future astronauts may need to become not just explorers, but farmers in space. Menon had lifted off on his maiden journey to the ISS aboard Russia’s Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft on July 14.
