GARDEN PATIENCE SEEDS

Rumex patientia

ORGANIC & BIODYNAMIC

An ancient European food crop, and the most mild of all sorrels, Patience is a hardy edible perennial that produces tons of nutritious mineral-rich tender greens in very early spring. Ideal for permacultural landscapes.

Mature plants produce a massive rosette of huge foot long leaves. One plant is typically more than enough for a small family. If garden space is precious, think twice about including this monster. Opt for the more modestly sized De Belleville or diminutive Buckler Sorrel.

Unlike most sorrels, Patience has a light agreeable flavor that makes it suitable for use as a cooked vegetable. Prepare as you would chard, spinach or cabbage. In Romania, large leaves are used in spring for a special type of Sarmale. Leaves do contain oxalic acid, and thus they are probably best used only, or at least primarily, in very early spring, when little else is available in the garden. Blanching leaves lightly before using is recommended. Toss the water. Proceed with your recipe.

Harvest leaves throughout the season to promote new tender growth. Dramatic red seed stalks should be cut unless you wish to save seed, in which case you should carefully bag the stems to stop this species from self-sowing. Plants have a thick deep taproot that is fairly impossible to remove, so take care to cull any unwanted seedlings promptly.

In medieval gardens, the large roots of this species were a valued medicinal. The flavor is surprisingly sweet and worth a nibble should you be required to extract an unwanted plant at any point.

Deerproof and very long-lived.

Packet contains at least 50 seeds.