Sorrel
Rumex acetosa and Rumex sanguineus
Perennial
An easy to grow, difficult to find in the shops, gourmet ingredient. Sorrel produces slightly sour, lemony flavoured leaves over a long season. It’s one of the first herbs to produce fresh leaves in spring. The young leaves are lovely used sparingly in salads, while the larger leaves can be cooked like spinach in soups and risotto. Well worth growing.
Sow Direct or in pots indoors to get a head start on the season. Before sowing direct, dig the soil over gently, breaking up any large clumps and removing weeds. If you have some homemade compost to spare, add that to the soil. Sow seeds in a drill and cover lightly with soil. Alternatively sow in pots and keep on a light windowsill until you’re ready to plant them out. It shouldn't be too long before you see signs of growth, usually a week or so.
Uses Fresh sorrel leaves pack a punch of flavour – use sparingly. The young leaves can be used with other herbs in pestos and salsa verde. Sorrel puree is easy to make… take a large handful of washed leaves, remove the central stalks and throw them, still wet, into a pan with some melted butter. The leaves 'melt' almost instantly, and the resulting puree tastes great with oily fish or eggs. Sorrel soup is another classic way to use the leaves and sorrel sauce can turn poached egg on toast into a gourmet treat.
Note: Sorrel leaves have a high oxalic acid content… it’s what gives them their distinctively tart flavour but does mean you should eat them in moderation.
Grow Sorrel does best in damp but well drained soil, in sun or partial shade. Keep the young plants well-watered, especially if the weather is dry. Cut off flowering shoots as they form, unless you are growing plants to save seed from. Sorrel leaves are best, more tender, from young plants – resow every couple of years to keep the plants tasty and productive.