Garden Sorrel, also referred to as Common or English Sorrel, is an often overlooked culinary herb.  Although is resembles a pale spinach leaf, it bursts with a tart, sour flavor that some say is similar to lemon.  The immature leaves can be used in salads and more mature leaves added to soups to provide a layer of tartness.  It also has high levels of potassium as well as vitamins A and C.

for a recipe for sorrel soup sent to us by a gardening friend.

for a recipe for a sorrel omelet.

for a recipe for a traditional French recipe of fish and greens.

The plants reaching sixteen to twenty four inches high and take up a similar amount of space.  The leaves are arrow-shaped and can be picked from spring through fall. They are best when small and tender.  Keep flowering stalks suckered to help keep plants in leaf production.  The tart taste is from the oxalic acid (see below) that Sorrel contains.

Plants thrive in full sun to part shade and prefer rich soil.  They also do well in large containers if protected from hard freezes.  It is a long lived perennial.  Each packet contains one gram of seeds, which is approximately 900 seeds.