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NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4590
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Fri Jul 18, 14 8:41 pm Post subject: Alexanders
What do they taste like? Are they worth growing? Can they do soggy clay soil? My mouse is hovering over "add to cart"

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45500
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Jul 18, 14 10:16 pm Post subject:
quite nice when young not sure about soil but they seem to like damp ive seen more in the south than in the north so temp etc might be an issue

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15598

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 14 5:26 am Post subject:
They are a weed round Corfe Castle, but although we don't have dissimilar soil, I have never seen them locally in the south of England.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Jul 20, 14 12:26 pm Post subject:
I wouldn't bother to grow them. We've spent years developing better vegetables/herbs. They're OK as an occasional forage.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Sun Jul 20, 14 12:47 pm Post subject:
We have them all over the place on our land and have spent the last twenty odd years trying to get rid of them. They are very persistent.

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4590
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Sun Jul 20, 14 3:38 pm Post subject:
I think perhaps I shan't bother

robkb

Joined: 29 May 2009
Posts: 4205
Location: SE London

Posted: Tue Jul 22, 14 7:23 am Post subject:
I've grown them on my allotment which is pretty heavy and damp over winter. As to taste, see Sean's comment.

Finsky

Joined: 10 Sep 2011
Posts: 847
Location: Notts.

Posted: Tue Jul 22, 14 6:51 pm Post subject:
I have got some seeds for you if you want to have a go growing from 'scratch'. I would say it is for acquired taste...if you like celery you might like it..taste is kind of similar but much stronger. Celery...yuck!...I am able to have little as fresh 'herb' in my food but it is too much for my taste as main ingredient. I actually prefer it dried.. added into winter soups

DorsetScott

Joined: 23 Oct 2011
Posts: 500
Location: Bournemouth

Posted: Tue Jul 22, 14 10:43 pm Post subject:

Mistress Rose wrote:

They are a weed round Corfe Castle, but although we don't have dissimilar soil, I have never seen them locally in the south of England.

Where you based Mistress Rose? Remember they tend to stay within a mile or 2 of the sea. There's LOADS of them Bournemouth way.

Taste depends on which bit you eat to be fair. Stems are "interesting", roots are quite nice a seeds are good for a garnish. Plus cooking time changes the taste of the stems. And you can candy them rather than eat as a veg.
I'd recommend being VERY sure of what it is if you're going to forage to try though. I watched my patch for 2 years before I picked any!!! Possibly excessive but I don't mess around with umbilifers.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Tue Jul 22, 14 11:03 pm Post subject:

Bodger wrote:

We have them all over the place on our land and have spent the last twenty odd years trying to get rid of them. They are very persistent.

Likewise. Pain in the neck.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15598

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 14 7:13 am Post subject:
About 10 miles from the nearest inlet of a harbour and 15 from the sea proper. I didn't realise they were a maritime plant; that would account for it.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 14 10:33 am Post subject:
I think I remember something about them becoming more widespread as a result of grit/salt being spread on roads in winter.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45500
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 14 5:12 pm Post subject:

DorsetScott wrote:

I'd recommend being VERY sure of what it is if you're going to forage to try though. I watched my patch for 2 years before I picked any!!! Possibly excessive but I don't mess around with umbilifers.

seconded ,i do forage some umbels but only after long study and i will never pick ones i dont know really well

some of the toxic ones are easy to recognise some are very like edible ones and taste is not a good way to decide ( the most toxic one has a pleasant parsley flavour)

out of about 70 uk species i recon 7 are well deadly in smallish(less than a salad )amounts, a couple will off you as a garnish

so i spose with random picking you have a fair chance of 9 dinners

somewhere in the ds vaults is an excellent article cab wrote on them

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4590
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 14 5:38 pm Post subject:
"Everything is edible, but some things are only edible once"

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4590
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 14 3:34 pm Post subject:

Finsky wrote:

I have got some seeds for you if you want to have a go growing from 'scratch'.
I would say it is for acquired taste...if you like celery you might like it..taste is kind of similar but much stronger.
Celery...yuck!...I am able to have little as fresh 'herb' in my food but it is too much for my taste as main ingredient. I actually prefer it dried.. added into winter soups

The seeds have landed. I like the envelope!

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