THE VEGETABLE OYSTER

Evening Star, Issue 22086, 20 July 1935, Page 23

THE VEGETABLE OYSTER

A NEGLECTED DELICACY A vegetable tlvat is very useful for winter use, but infrequently grown, is the salsify, or vegetable oyster. It is true that" in many places, especially m the Auckland province, the plant has become established as a weed, but this gives but a poor opinion of its capabilities when grown under garden cultivation (says the Auckland ‘ Herald ’) ' The gardener, however, is more concerned with the edible roofs, which form a change from the ordinary run of winter root vegetables. Land that has been dug deeipl.v, and has not recently had an application of fresh manure, is the most suitable. Lumps should also be avoided in the soil as these hinder the development of the long roots. Sow the seed in September in drills lin deep and loin apart. In dry weather the seed beds will need to be copiously watered to induce germination. When the plants arc Sin high, thin out to tSiu apart. The only attention needed during summer is frequent hoeing to keep down weeds and to stimulate growth. When the leaves have changed colour in autumn, the roots may be drawn for use. The bulk of the crop may either bo lifted and stored at the foot of a fence or wall, by placing alternate layers of roots and fine soil in a heap or allowed to remain in the soil and dug' as required . Fn preparing fox* the table, the roots are scraped, cub into pieces and steeped for a while in vinegar. They are then boiled like parsnips and served with white sauce. They may be also fried _in butter after boiling, and served with parsley. Some epicures cut the stalks when 4in or sin long and dress as asparagus, and_ in this way they are considered delicious.