Salsify

[bluemoon]

Has anyone grown salsify? Was it worth it? And what do you do with it once it's harvested? I'm considering having it as next year's 'guest veg' and I'm sending in my first seed order at the weekend.

[Snadger]

I tried growing it last year but after a while nothing appeared and I thought I must have got duff seed!

I planted another crop in its place and at the end of the year a strange looking weed appeared with a wonderful blue flower. After consulting google images I found it to be salsify sown the previous year.

If nothing else it was worth it for the flower, and now I have loads of self saved seeds for next year!

[di]

We grew it last year & as Snadger says the flowers are beautiful(although I'm sure mine were purple!?)As far as taste....I feel totally ashamed to say I never got round to fancying it!!Looked very much like a dockweed~seeping lots of milky fluid!!It was also the only thing the chooks didn't demolish in their run!
I'm sure others have found it very nice,but not for me!!Although I prob will set aside a corner for the flowers!

[Snadger]

We grew it last year & as Snadger says the flowers are beautiful(although I'm sure mine were purple!?)As far as taste....I feel totally ashamed to say I never got round to fancying it!!Looked very much like a dockweed~seeping lots of milky fluid!!It was also the only thing the chooks didn't demolish in their run!
I'm sure others have found it very nice,but not for me!!Although I prob will set aside a corner for the flowers!

You could be right about the flower colour! I remember they (there were quite a few flowers) would only open when the sun was out and it had huge seed heads like dandelion clocks! I kept some seed and one of the guys at the allotment was so enthralled he begged some seed just to grow as a herbaceous flowering plant!

[terrier]

If it's Scorzonera you're growing, it's delicious. You eat the whole plant, root and leaves. The only problem is getting it out of the ground as the root is about 2 foot long. Like any root veg, if you leave it too long, the root goes too woody to eat, but the flowers are nice

[di]

Is the root supposed to ooze milky like stuff?That's what put me off a bit!Not sure if I should have left it another year?It really did look like a combination of dock & dandelion root!

[terrier]

Is the root supposed to ooze milky like stuff?That's what put me off a bit!Not sure if I should have left it another year?It really did look like a combination of dock & dandelion root!

Yes, if it's the same plant as I grew. To be honest, they didn't look very appetising but they were really nice.

[di]

So I'll definately be growing it again for the flowers!!....maybe(just a maybe!!)I'll be brave & actually try tasting it!!I guess it's related to the dandelion family?In which case probably very nutritious!(if not particularly visually appealing!!)
Cheers Terrier!

[vicky]

I grow it for the flowers and the huge, fabulous 'clocks' which the children love! The taste (I thought) was pretty awful!

[zazen999]

I have some of these seeds for next year, and just googled it and the flowers are gorgeous. Looks like I'l have to use this year's deep carrot bed just in case i do like the taste of the roots.

Just seen a recipe for sesame salsify as well, so I'll come back to this next year.

[smc999]

Mine seem to be doing ok in the trough that I planted them in a few months ago. Will have a furtle around when I get in from work to see how large they are.

[Snadger]

Is the root supposed to ooze milky like stuff?That's what put me off a bit!Not sure if I should have left it another year?It really did look like a combination of dock & dandelion root!

Is this not one of the veg where you have to put the peeled section in water with lemon juice added to stop it discolouring?
There's something else that needs this treatment but I'm dammed if I can remember what?

[bluemoon]

It's sliced apples, Snadger. As for the salsify, I'll give it a go, but might look for a second guest veg too. There's not much point in trying to get the family to taste new stuff if it's going to look really unappetizing because I know they'll refuse point blank.

[zazen999]

Is this not one of the veg where you have to put the peeled section in water with lemon juice added to stop it discolouring?
There's something else that needs this treatment but I'm dammed if I can remember what?

Jeruslam artickokes if I remember correctly.

[Snadger]

Jeruslam artickokes if I remember correctly.

That's the ones zazen! It's terible when old age starts playing tricks with the memory.
What were we on about again?