Have you grown salsify?

[ndkc2003]

Has anybody grown any salsify? I would like to try some. Saw an article & thought I would like to try some.  ::)

[ndkc2003]

[Mike J]

I've got some growing, like you from reading an article and posts on this site. Never eaten it before so not sure I'll like it, but it's my first year on the plot and I wanted to try some new stuff - fennel, pak choi (great), swiss chard, squash and gourds (those without brackets I have yet to harvest, though apparently I learnt yesterday that I should be picking the chard now). Best of luck with whatever you grow.

[Svea]

i am growing its black cousin, scorzonera. one of my fav veggies from my childhood - i used to spend my summers and autumn hols at my grandparents who grow it (along with a lot of other stuff). very yummy. tastes a little like asparagus (well, white aspragus, not the green stuff - which is a very different flavour altogether).

the plants look fine so far, not sure how thick the roots will become by late autumn. cant wait though - delish :p

svea

[ndkc2003]

Hello Mike J J & Svea Where did you get the seed from (I am assuminig you grew from seed. Mike did you get your pak choi from the same place. Donna. ;)

[terrace max]

I'm growing the one with the yellow flowers - can never remember if that's salsify or scorzonera....

Read somewhere that you can eat the flower buds in salad...tried it...bleugh!

I got my seeds from Halcyon seeds who are now defunct, I think. I'm sure Chase Organics sell them...

[philandjan]

We've got a couple of rows of salsify growing.

Other than that, we don't know a great deal about it!

We had a pack of seeds left over from a couple of years ago. Put the seeds in a tray in the greenhouse at start of year and then transplanted them when they were around 4-5" tall 9though, apparently, they don't like transplanting because it disturbs the roots!)

Plants currently look good and healthy though we are not too certain when to harvest. Will just keep trying.

To the best of our knowledge we have never eaten salsify and cannot imagine what a vegetable that "tastes like oysters" really tastes like. Oysters normally go down in one and have a briney taste!

[Svea]

you are right on the root distrubance there, P&J. you may have five fingered ones come harvest time :)
harvest is in, hmm, october and beyond?

i got seeds from kings seeds (suffolk herbs) but the organic gardening catalogue do them as well.

[Mike J]

Hi ndkc2003 aka Donna

I've just retrieved the packet and as I thought I got the salsify (which I now notice is the Scornonera like Svea) from Lidl - very cheap! The Pak Choi was Suttons which I bought in Wyevale - expensive! Can't wait to try the salsify though - more glowing recommendations from Svea. By the way I cooked up some Swiss Chard tonight, after checking the posts here for some recipes - I distilled all the info for a quick jobbie, and just 'steamed' it in a pan, then grated Parmesan and some seasalt on it, delish, now a convert, and will definitely be in my plot again next year. Will try a more exotic recipe next though - Emma Jane's Dolmades using chard leaves sounds yummy!

[moonbells]

I'm growing salsify Giant from Sutton's.
I'd read that it doesn't grow well from old seed so I sowed the whole packet and have lots of grasslike seedlings now.  Very pretty. I've got them at an inch apart in sieved soil (as it's naturally stony).  It came up like a rocket (within a week) in little, very dark tufts and has been getting steadily larger since.

And I've never eaten it before - have tried scorzonera though and I like that - mildly parsnippy in taste.  But apparently hard to get decent roots so I thought I'd try the salsify instead.

Autumn will tell!

moonbells

[jennym]

I have grown salsify, quite successfully. The roots were very long, be careful when you dig up as they break easily (not as easily as scorzerona though!)
Taste was nice.
No problems with pests or diseases.
Didn't water or feed.

[blight]

 like svea, i grow scorzonera, which i prefer to salsify.i grow two varieties: "noir geant de russie", bought in france,
"meves", bought in germany.
both sown in mid-march. ready from october throughout the winter. dig up when required. both are frosthardy.
as mentioned, the roots snap off easily, when dug out. dig deep!
i peel the bark off with the back of a knife under running water. put them in a bowl of acidulated water to prevent discolouring.
then boil, steam, simmer....good with butter, hollandaise, vinaigrette...
p.s:
the voles in my garden prefer the french variety.

[Svea]

blight, do you find much difference between the scorzonera varieties?
they usually only sell one variety of scorzonera in one place (like the russian black giant, or black mammooth) and they are said to be the same/interchangable, i.e. no difference noticeable.

the only difference (so they say) is between the salsify and scorzonera 'varieties'

svea

[RosieM]

Hi All,

I've just harvested my scorzonera (Russian Giant) which overwintered from last year, the roots were not big enough at the end of last season and I read somewhere that they benefit from another growing year.

The roots are really good, 1-2 ft long and over an inch thick, not nearly as fibrous as I thought they would be after such a time.

Only snag is that they flowered and I have hordes of babies everywhere as they germinate really easily!

I'm going to cook them all up over the weekend and freeze them does anyone have any words of wisdom about this?

Rosie

[Marianne]

Salsify is lovely eaten piping hot with a thingy of butter over the top !  ;D

[ndkc2003]

Many thanks for all your replies I think I'll try both and see which I like the best. I'm also going to try the Swiss Chard on mikes recommendation.
Donna.

[Marianne]

I did type a " K N O B" of butter but it was translated into a THINGY.. ::) ;D

[moonbells]

When does one harvest salsify please? I sowed quite late (May) so I guess I've got a couple of months of extra waiting!

Also what's the best spacing for the plants to get decent sized roots?

moonbells

[RosieM]

Sorry off topic -

Are you Chesham Moonbells?

Rosie

[moonbells]

Sorry off topic -

Are you Chesham Moonbells?

Rosie

yes!

moonbells

[RosieM]

Sorry off topic -

Are you Chesham Moonbells?

Rosie

yes!

moonbells

I'm down on Asheridge Road. Will you be around on the open day?