I was weeding a garden bottom this daybreak and found new sprout of sheep wood sorrel . It ’s tasty , so I considered leaving it , but it can also be invasive . My desire for spring vegetables win , so the sorrel was displume . But no concern , it ’ll pop up somewhere else .
Sheep wood sorrel is a big dope to know . With well recognized leaves that taste exchangeable to lemons , they ’re often the first wild victuals that the great unwashed read .
Sheep Sorrel was originally the vulgar name forRumex acetosella , but nowadays , it may also refer toRumex hastatulus . With similar shape leaves , the two are often confused . Other vernacular epithet are Sour Grass or Sour Dock . Rumex hastatulusis also call Heartwing Sorrel . Both have edible sour leaves , so the pic of this post may be of either variety .
Both types have pointy - tipped leaves with a yoke of lobes pointing outwards from the leaf cornerstone . The leafage are hairless and typically have long petioles . They are shimmery when viewed in the sun , as if someone scatter okay glitter on top . The leaf shapes have been compared to arrowheads , swords , and sheep heads – hence the name Sheep Sorrel . The narrow-minded part of the leaf is the head teacher , and the lobe are the ears . The size and form of the leaves will depart greatly found on growing status .
The photo below is of new leaves , which grow in a basal rosette closely to the ground . They issue in the cool weather of early natural spring or fall . The presence and eminence of the lobe may motley on young leave , but they often become more pronounced as the works eld .
Smaller , narrow leaves grow along the fore of the industrial plant . Stem leaves grow alternative of each other , and often do n’t have as defined of lobe on the side ( shown below ) .
The tiny flowers on the straw sour shades of bolshy as they suppurate . If you ’re driving along and see a field speckle with red , it may be sheep sorrel , like in the photo below .
The flowering stems are ridged and often tinted cerise . Most sites say sheep sorrel flowers from March to November , but this will vary by localization . I ’m in zona 7 with summers up to 100 degree F , and the plant pall back in the mid - summertime heat . I unremarkably see flowers in late give and mid to late fall .
BothRumex acetosellaandRumex hastatulusare typically mature as perennial . R. acetosellais native to Eurasia and the British Isles but is now common through much of the US . Its root are more mat acquire , and the florescence stem seldom get above 18 inches high . R. hastatulusis native to North America . It has a taproot and grows 2 foot tall or more . R. hastatulushas winged seeds ( hence the name Heartwing Sorrel ) whileR. acetoselladoes not .
The leafage can be eaten natural or misrepresent . Over consumption ( massiveamounts ) can cause abdominal cramping , abdomen painfulness , or diarrhea . If your MD has put you on a blue oxalate diet , consumption of sheep oxalis is not urge . When cookery rozelle , hurtle iron or aluminum cookware is not recommended , as the alloy can cause a metallic taste by interact with the oxalic Zen of the leaves .
The root can be dried , and then made into a tea or gunpowder . purportedly , this gunpowder can be used to make noodles , but I have n’t launch anyone who has essay this yet . The seeds are also edible , but they are too diminutive to do much with .
So why waste sheep sorrel leaves ? Mainly because they taste good ( if you care sour thing ) , but they also have many purported health benefits .
What is it good for ?
Sheep common sorrel contains vitamin degree centigrade , vitamin A , calcium , potassium , magnesium , phosphorus , and a small amount of zinc . It is also an first-class antioxidant and contains compounds that may be effective against bacterium , viral contagion , and intestinal dirt ball .
Traditionally , the leaves have been used for inflammation , as a diuretic , and for supporter move food through the digestive tract . A tea leaf made from red sorrel roots has been used to meliorate diarrhea and extravagant menstrual haemorrhage . However , few scientific studies have been done to see if the plant is as effectual as herbal practitioners have claimed over the years .
Rumex acetosellais a main component in the cancer - crusade Essiac afternoon tea . The good decoctions use 25 % of the root and 75 % aeriform region , but products with the root are rare . The leave can be harvested multiple times , but compass up the rootage kills the plant . It ’s not profitable for sodbuster to reap the ascendent , and the varieties that use the tooth root are expensive because of this . ( To buy with sorrel root , here ’s theRegular Essiac Teaand theExtended Essiac Formula . )
How can you apply the leave-taking ?
I have a few suggestions:1 . Toss a few raw leaves in a salad or smoothie2 . outrageous the leaves in a tea3 . MakeSorrel Sauce for Seafood or Cooked Vegetablesfrom Mother Earth News4 . Use recipe that call for garden oxalis or other sorrels , such as thisSorrel Soupfrom Leda Merideth
Have you tried sheep sorrel ? Do you eat other gaga edibles or weeds ?
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