French Sorrel
French Sorrel has a delicious sharp lemony flavour which will make you wince if you try and eat a handful of leaves, but judiciously add a few young leaves to a salad and it will introduce a lovely citrus note. It really comes into it's own combined with cream, butter or yogurt that balance it's acidity. Grow it and create some truly outstanding with fish and egg dishes.
Growing is incredibly easy. Once you've sown your seeds the plants will keep growing for 2-3 years, responding best if you harvest by hacking it back every couple of months.
Time from seed to plate: 12 weeks
Sowing Calendar
Sow
Sow french sorrel anytime from April to June. The seeds don't need any special treatment. Sow them directly into your plot by creating a shallow groove across it with a trowel, about 1/2 inch deep and sprinkling in seeds leaving 1-2 inches between them. Firm back the soil and water.
Grow
When seedlings are established - 3-4 weeks after sowing, thin them out to leave 6 inches between each plant.
Harvest
Sorrel will crop comfortably from July through to December. Down here in Devon my plants keep growing and producing leaves outside right through the winter as well.
Be brutal when you harvest sorrel. Chop away and discard older leaves and pick the young ones. These more tender and far less bitter. The more you cut it back the faster it will grow.
Plants will live for two to three years so don't dig them up!