Green thumb
Sorrel is an easy to grow herb and there are a number of types.
Had enough of a sugar fix over Easter? Rectify the imbalance with some nutritious leafy greens such as spicy mustard greens or cool, fresh, lemony sorrel, these plants are pretty enough to grow in a pot on the patio like ornamentals.
Most salad greens lack flavour and need dressing to spice them up, but there are many nourishing green salad vegetables that are spicy and flavoursome and lovely to look at.
Sorrel is an easy to grow herb and there are a number of types. French sorrel soup is famous for its refreshing flavour, and common garden sorrel is widely used as a green vegetable in stews and casseroles.
All sorrels have a pleasant lemony flavour and are often included in supermarket packets of mixed salad greens.
Many green vegetables including sorrel contain oxalic acid, cooking particularly boiling breaks down the oxalic acid content in the leaf by up to 87 per cent.
Red veined sorrel as its name implies is pretty enough to grow in the front garden as it has striking foliage.
It’s a compact, little plant, with small leaves and can be grown for micro greens, added to a salad mix, or used to flavour soups and stir-fries.
Plant sorell in a well drained garden bed enriched with compost. Water early in the morning and refresh the soil every few weeks with an organic fertiliser.
Red veined sorrel is a perennial green in Far North Queensland, however if not protected in a summer heatwave the leaves will burn.
Red veined sorrel is a good companion plant to grow as a filler between larger plants in the vegetable garden such as tomatoes, kale, broccoli or cucumbers.
Mustard greens like other members of the Brassica family are high in phytochemical, thiocyanates and sulforaphane, as well as the vitamins B5, B6 and B1 and they are also high in essential minerals; iron, potassium, manganese and magnesium.
Mustard greens are easy to grow and can be planted in the garden in full to part sun. Mustard
greens can be cut and let to grow again and in FNQ, most varieties can be harvested for many months. Grasshoppers and cabbage moth caterpillars will eat the leaves of mustard green so interplant with shallots or Thai basil to repel these pests.
Mizuna, Brassica junco or Japanese mustard has a mild flavour and the fine, crispy leaves grow vigorously. Grow B. Junco in full sun throughout the cooler months but it will need a cool shaded area in summer.
Three varieties of Mizuna are readily available, Mizuna japonica green, purple and red all have a mild flavour when young.
Giant red mustard, Brassica junco giant, will grow to 90cm in height.
The colourful textured leaves are mustardy warm, tender and succulent when stir-fried with other vegetables. Grow this giant as an ornamental in a pot at the front door, admire the beautiful leaves then pick them again and again for the kitchen, this plant is a heavy producer of nutritious leaves over a long period.
Golden frills B. Rugosas’ deeply serrated leaves are sweet with a spicy flavour. Pick and let grow again, this vegetable can be used as a micro green, eaten in salads or added to stir-fries for that peppery flavour.
Mustard Green-wave, grows best in composted soil enriched with manure. It is tolerant of heat and slow to bolt. The large, open frilled, leaves grow on a plant that will reach 60 cm in height.
The nutty, spicy flavour of the leaf is ideal for use in stir-fry dishes. Cut and pick the season long.
Seed mixes of Mesclun ‘hot mix’ and ‘mild mix’ are available from local organic and open pollinated seed suppliers.
The seeds germinates quickly and for around $4 a packet the seed will grow to provide enough leafy greens to feed a family for a year.
Start growing in a pot then take over the yard and become self sufficient – it’s fun.