The wild garden

Last fall I dug up a root of sheep sorrel in the Catskills and brought it home to the fledgling vegetable plot in our newly weeded garden. It is a wild edible plant I see rarely in the city (the exception is Green-Wood Cemetary, where it likes the lawn. It is a European import, and a miniature version of the garden sorrel that is sometimes called French - Rumex acetosa. Sheep sorrel is Rumex acetosella.

A year later it is very happy. Very, very, very happy. In our newly cool weather it has put out a spurt of fresh growth and I know I will have to dig around it again soon to chop of any runners it has sent out. It is called a weed for a a reason, but I am happy to have it.

I pick it often. It is very good melted in some hot butter or cream for a sauce and is sour enough to stand in for lemon in salads.

                                                 

 It always tops our Sunday bagels.

The list of forageables in the garden grows: sweetfern, milkweed, nettles, elderflower (one a volunteer that has grown like mad, one purchased - not sure how they will do with our shade, we'll see), chokeberry, aralia, ostrich fern...

The last scheduled forage walk is this Saturday, but I have several private walks still ahead. Get in touch if you'd like to arrange one of those.