USEFUL IN THE SALAD BOWL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19981, 24 December 1926, Page 3

USEFUL IN THE SALAD BOWL.

THE COMMON SORREL. The common sorrel, Rumex acetoea, so largely grown in climates warmer than our own, is not in very great demand in this country; nevertheless, for mixing with spinach for use iu small quantities in the salad bowl, as an ingredient in soups and sauces, or even as a separate dish, it is a valuable adjunct to our list of summer vegetables. The action of the plant is refrigerant and diuretic, hence its value in alimentation during hot weather, and as it posseses a piquant flavour it may be used by the skilful cook to produce an agreeable dish. The garden sorrels are amongst those plants which have scarcely been modified by cultivation, but remain very similar to the wild species when the latter ia growing under favourable conditions. Although liking fairly good ground, sorrel is not so exacting as spinach in this respect. Excellent crops may be gathered from seedlings jn the first year of their growth, after which the beds can be maintained by division of the tufts in early spring. A plantation remains productive for a period of three years if good cultivation is practised. Like many of the members of its natural order the sorrel is UoUally 'dioecious, though occasionally monoecious, and it is a distinct advantage when making new beds by division of old tufts to choose only male plants, as these are not liable to become exhausted by seed-bearing. A broad-leaved variety is extensively grown in the neighbourhood of Paris, where it is even cultivated in frames for the purpose of maintaining a constant supply. Several other species of rumex, natives of Southern Europe, are also grown on the Continent, notably E. scutatus, which has very acid leaves, its chief merit being that it resists drought, and is thus a valuable sorrel for a summer crop.-—A. P. C., in the Gardeners’ Chronicle.