Sprouting Salsify
The salsify I didn't bother harvesting because it was too small and forked has started sprouting. I read somewhere that if you leave them for a second season they grow to resemble enormous parsnips! Can I be bothered though? Some writers recommend covering the shoots to blanch them and use in salads. Others pooh pooh the idea. Decisions, decisions. Actually I am pretty sure I will just dig them up and plant something else.
posted by Mike at 1:43 PM
3 Comments:
Hi Mike...
Clearly having too much time on my hands, I have just looked up "salsafy" (sic) in my Victorian Gardners Hand book circa 1890...to wit:
"This root also like a light, rich, soil and will grow well on ground that has been manured for the crop that precedes it.The seed should be sown in April, in drills 12-15 inches apart, and thinned out to a distance of 6 -9 inches apart in the rows. They will be ready for use in the earlt part of November, when some roots may be stored for winter use in sand, as recmommended for beetroot. It is a biennial, and the stalks that it throws up in its second year, and which will ultimately develop into flowers and yield seed, supply a tender and useful vegetable which is not unlike asparagus. The oyster like flavour of the root when properly dressed, has obtained for it the name of the Vegetable Oyster."
Sounds intruiging...How about transplanting one or two, to leave for us to see the results?
GM
Hi Greenmantle - excellent idea - consider it done!
This is interesting.Salsify is described as 'western Japanese burdock(Gobo)'in my country and young leaves of gobo are ebible.There're even some gobo varieties specially bred for leaf production.
I don't know whether salsify and gobo are related but I'd try some salsify leaves if given the opportunity!
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