Sorrel

Aspects: Clumping and running herb, edible greens, sun to shade, soils variable

Leaves have a strong lemony tang and delicate texture; add flavor to salads or cooked dishes, most famously cream of sorrel soup; where temperatures are cold sorrel is among first greens available in the spring and last in the fall; continually cut back flowering stalks to keep them producing tender greens long into the summer.

Tough and reliable; can become weedy; growing only male plants can minimize weediness (grow some plants from seed and rogue out all that produce female flowers and set seed); male plants will still experience temporarily diminished flavor when they flower.

Non-flowering variety name Profusion stays excellent all year long and doesn’t bolt or become weedy

Good companion plants because their roots dig deep and bring up calcium, phosphorus and potassium.

O. digyma or Mountain Sorrel – medium-sized clumps, rounded leaves that are large in partial shade, delicious flavor and texture

R. acetosa or Garden Sorrel/French Sorrel – one of the most commonly cultivated in the US. Tall, lance-shaped leaves with a flower spike that grows to 3 to 4 feet tall. Non- flowering variety, Profusion, belongs to this species. To add to the confusion R. acetosella and R. scutatus are all known as French Sorrel.

CAUTION R. acetosella or Sheep Sorrel/French Sorrel – Very common weed in gardens. Naturalizes well in disturbed, dry, acidic soils. Author feels flavor as good as that of any cultivated species. Leaves are smaller and therefore more tedious to harvest; low growing and spreads aggressively by runners and seed. Plants make a useful groundcover but otherwise be vary careful where you introduce this species.

R. scutatus or Silver Shield Sorrel/Buckler-Leaf Sorrel/French Sorrel – This species has replaced garden sorrel as the sorrel of choice in France; they feel the flavor is superior and the author agrees; plants less vigorous than garden sorrel (take a few years to establish and don’t do well with competition); delicate flavor and texture; small leaves make for more work while harvesting

Few pests and diseases though wet weather can bring slugs, and leaf miners can be a problem

Seed or propagate by division; divide every few years to rejuvenate them

Leaves do not store well and should be eaten soon after harvest; eat fresh or cooked, mix with other greens to make a salad use in soup, sauces, and other dishes; cooks down dramatically so pick a lot

Pokeweed - yikes!

Also called Poke “salad”

Aspects: Clumping herb, edible shoots, sun to part shade, moist well drained soil

Pokeweed is one of the most popular native wild edibles in the US. Has a long tradition of use as a vegetable, though the roots, fruits, seeds, and mature stems and leaves are poisonous. Sufficient quantities can cause diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal spasms, convulsions, and even death.

To eat boiled young shoots in several changes of water to remove the toxins; eat only the young shoots when about 6-8 inches tall; don’t eat any of the pink portions; put shoots in water and bring to a boil, pour off the water, refill and boil again, then simmer for 5 minutes, should be ready to eat. Some recommend boiling 3 times

Cooking is a hassle but the flavor is rewarding; rich and hearty, with a flavor like nutty blend of spinach and asparagus.

Can grow 4-8 ft tall; fall it has dark purple berries; wild and weedy and easy to cultivate; germinates easily from seed; can be divided with a sharp shovel; should grow in most soils though it prefers rich, moist conditions.

Birds will spread the seed all over the place; Pokeweed can carry viruses that also attack plants in the broadly defined Lily family (including asparagus and onion) and nightshades (like potato, tomato, and eggplant).

Sunchoke

Aspects: Running herb, edible tubers, full sun, moist well-drained soil

Also called Jerusalem artichoke, sunroot

Plants grow 6-12 ft tall; sunflower-like flowers in the late fall.

Dwarf Sunray variety is better suited to small gardens; grows to 6 ft tall; tubers grow close to the base of the stems for easier harvesting; flowers much earlier; less prone to blowing over in strong wind.

Tubers benefit from a bit of frost which sweetens them, best after first hard frost; harvest last years crop in the spring for a super sweet treat.

Plants are very productive, producing as much as four times the yield of potatoes; tubers are crispy and sweet; can be smooth, or knobby and harder to clean some as large as medium-sized potatoes.

Tasty raw, but become sweeter when baked. Can be used like other root veggies but get mushy when fried.

Can be persistent and aggressive in the garden and will spread to form large colonies if not harvested regularly; once planted they are difficult to get rid of; easier to remove in midsummer when the tubers are small; thin and harvest all or most tubers every year to keep plants producing a good crop.

Full sun to light shade.

Tall dense growth makes them a poor companion for most vegetables.

Tubers store best in the ground; store in the fridge for a few days; leave the dirt on them until right before cooking.