Sorrel

Scientific name: Rumex acetosa
Rumex acetosa
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USDA hardiness zones:
-

Also known as common sorrel or spinach dock, sorrel is a mainstay as the spring tonic in light soups and salads in France. Sorrel's distinctive features are its sharp, lemony flavor and its delicate leaves.

Sorrel is a hardy, green, leafy perennial herb sometimes considered a vegetable. While it resembles spinach, the young leaves have a sweet acidic flavor, and is used in French cooking as a Spring tonic. It becomes stronger and more acidic with age. Eaten as young fresh leaves to give a bit of citrus essence to any salad or raw sauce, since sorrel contains a significant amount of oxalic acid.

  • Medium to wet

The best method of propagation is by cutting small pieces from the main root and replanting them.

Sorrel seeds are sown directly into the garden in early in spring ¼ to ½ inch (6 mm to 1 cm) deep and 6 inches (15 cm) apart. Once the seedlings are well established, plants may be set in rows and thinned to 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) .

About 4 months after being set in rows, begin harvesting leaves in a cut-and-come-again style. Remove flowers as they appear to ensure energetic leaf production.

Can grow wild in damp loamy soil, in partial shade.

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Gardens with this plant

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Your_Garden_Show replied almost 2 years ago
Rumex acetone (also garden sorrel or sour dock), is a treasured ingredient of traditional French cuisine, particularly soups, and also makes for a cool additional ingredient in omelettes or even stuffing. Useful and versatile, one variety has even served as a handy wrapping for butter. Sorrel also has therapeutic properties that can help with problems throughout the digestive tract - throat to stomach and so on!
lfin replied over 1 year ago
Here's the Broccoli & Sorrel Soup from Great Good Food (Julee Rosso - one of my first and still-favorite cookbook writers) -- I know I've extolled this to everyone and am finally in the same place as my 17-year old cookbook.   I couldn't actually find it online so I hope I am not in violation of any copyright -- I'll just give the ingredients and time coordinates.  You will love this one and it has almost no calories as a great bonus.
6 cups broth, 4 cups chopped broccoli, 2 tablespoons minced lemon zest, pinch of cayenne (or pepperonini, to use what I use), 3 cups of packed, packed sorrel.  Cook all but the sorrel in a pot for 20 minutes after boil.  For 3 final minutes, add the sorrel.  
Blend with a hand whisk.  If desired, add a smooth blend of 1 cup yogurt liquified with 1 cup cottage cheese, before serving (once you've removed the soup from the heat).  Enjoy.  
It's good as a spring tonic (if you can find the broccoli) or a fall tonic (if you haven't eaten all your sorrel by then!). 

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