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Post by ferdzy on Jan 12, 2014 21:50:05 GMT -5
Has anyone ever grown this? I was looking at Mapple Farm's seed list, and this caught my eye as something possibly interesting. I'm not going to buy it; it isn't worth paying the shipping for just one seed packet, expecially when it's something so obscure. But I'd love to hear reports from anyone who can tell me more about it.
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Post by richardw on Jan 12, 2014 23:30:53 GMT -5
I grew it many moons ago and remember it been really nice roasted. I saw a few plants growing on the side road a few days ago
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Post by MikeH on Jan 13, 2014 5:10:54 GMT -5
We grew it a few years ago but can't tell you much about it. We were redoing part of the garden and it was a casualty. We have it on order this year from Mapple and plan to try and stealthalize naturalize it. If I recall correctly, it produced plentiful seed. Would you like seed when it's available?
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Post by ferdzy on Jan 13, 2014 9:28:41 GMT -5
Richard, roasted? Are you thinking of regular scorzonera? My impression is that the French scorzonera is eaten as a salad green. Here's what Mapple Farms said about it:
"European permaculture growers positively gush
over this intriguing salad plant. About the size of
corn salad, this lettuce relative produces mild,
slightly sweet leaves in 10 weeks after direct
seeding. It responds well to cut-and-come-again
harvests and is virtually slug-proof. The small
(lettuce-like) seed we offer is not thoroughly cleaned
but a packet will sow a few dozen plants."
Googling suggests it's not actually French, but Greek. (Crete.)
Sure Mike, that would be great. Thanks!
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Post by richardw on Jan 13, 2014 12:08:17 GMT -5
Sorry ferdzy i was talking about the standard scorzonera,does this French scorzonera grow a eatable root?
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Post by ferdzy on Jan 13, 2014 15:53:24 GMT -5
Richard, you basically know as much about it as I do. I had never heard of it until I read the blurb I posted above. I've googled it, and there are a fair number of photos of it in wildflower records, but very little info about it as a veggie that I can see. My guess is that in its Mediterranean home people are more likely to forage for it than grow it, but I don't really know. No-one has mentioned the root that I have found.
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Post by steev on Jan 13, 2014 22:54:38 GMT -5
Richard: are you seeing feral Scorzonera (black roots) or Salsify (white roots)? Just curious; I've got both in the garden now; salsify is feral in California, and largely unappreciated, to my profit; I transplant those roots to the farm, very tasty. Both are plants I want to naturalize abundantly, as I like to eat them.
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Post by ottawagardener on Jan 15, 2014 18:54:34 GMT -5
Yes, I've grown it from Mapple farms but don't remember being stunned by it. I feel I need to give it another shake though.
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Post by lassleben on Jan 17, 2014 9:03:42 GMT -5
I'm growing Reichardia since last year and I love this plant! The whole plant is edible but I prefer the leaves and harvested in winter they taste the sweetest. The taste is great: sweet with a hint of dandelion or salsify but without any bitterness at all. The yellow flowers are the only part of the plant which is bitter. Reichardia produces good, is slug and pest resistant (as far as I've seen). Resprouts after harvesting and is perennial. On the other hand, it behaves like a weed, goes early into flowering, seed harvest is fiddly, the leaves could be less narrow. And eaten in quantity it becomes adstringent. Here a picture of Reichardia sown in summer:  And flowering in early summer:  |
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Post by ferdzy on Jan 17, 2014 9:10:24 GMT -5
Thansk for that, Lassleben (and welcome to the forum!)
Guess I will keep my eye out for some. The slug resistant part would definitely be useful around here.
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