Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone, one of my favourite times of the year. The leaves have been remarkable here, I’ll see if I can snap some shots to share.
As promised here is a little bit of info about Salsify, an often unheard of vegetable.
Once considered the poor person’s alternative to white asparagus in parts of Europe, this tender root can be peeled and lightly sauteed or steamed to be served like asparagus. It would be especially tasty with a drizzle of hollandaise sauce. We have been enjoying it in soups, roasted with other veggies beside chickens and also sauteed with the skin on in butter.
Sometimes called Oyster Root, because of its unique flavour, much of Black Salsify’s flavour is in the skin, so be warned if you do decide to peel it. It is part of the Compositae family, which also includes Burdock, Chicory, Sunflowers, Lettuce, and Jersusalem Artichokes. It is a biennial, which means it takes 2 seasons before it goes to seed. The young leaves can be eaten as salad greens and new spring shoots, emerging from roots left in the ground over winter, can be harvested and used as asparagus (Ashworth, 91).
Black Salsify is one of the more unique, probably unheard of vegetables I enjoy growing to add diversity to the garden and the dinner plate.
(For more info on this vegetable and many more, check out Suzanne Ashworth’s Seed to Seed, publisheed by the Seed Savers Exchange, 2002)
In other news, I have been busy peddling vegetables to local retail outlets. If you are ever passing through scenic Kimberley, be sure to stop in and say hi to Stacie at the General Store, and ask if she has any carrots from the gardens.
If you are passing by Ravenna, be sure to pop into the Ravenna Country Markets. There you will find amazing entrees made from scratch, including a Swiss Chard, Potatoe and Panchetta Soup, featuring Kolapore Gardens Swiss Chard!
- Ravenna Country Market
Kolapore Gardens 