Common sorrel

Common sorrel: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Perennial rosette plant 30–60 cm tall and 30 cm wide, with a deep taproot and straight flower stems.

Leaves

Arrow-shaped, 5–15 cm long, with two pointed lobes at the base of the blade; fresh green and slightly bluish.

Flower

Small red-green flowers in loose spikes from May to July; male and female flowers grow on different plants.

Flavour

Sour and fresh, with a lemony note that is stronger in older leaves.

Roots

Deep, thick taproot: the plant survives dry spells and comes back every year.

Flowering: May–July · Harvest and fruit: March–June and September–October · Sowing: March–May and August · Plants: April–May and September · Pruning: May–July

Why grow it?

• One of the first fresh leaf crops of the year: you can already pick leaves in March.
• The fresh, sour flavour is delicious in soup, in sauces for fish and raw in a salad.
• Fully hardy and productive for years with little work.
• A native plant and a host plant for the small copper butterfly, among others.
• Also grows in half shade and on damp soil, where many vegetables disappoint.

Common sorrel: where does it grow best?

• Sun to half shade: in sun the flavour is stronger, in half shade the leaves stay softer and it bolts less quickly.
• Humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to neutral.
• Normal to wet: the plant tolerates damp places well. Do not let the soil get too dry in summer.
• Allow 25–30 cm between plants; in rows, about 30 cm between rows.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

0.6 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Chives: The same cuisine, the same position and a strong contrast in foliage.
• Chervil: Tolerates half shade and goes with sorrel in sauces and soups.
• Parsley: A classic herb combination for the same soil.
• Rhubarb: A related plant that likes the same damp, rich soil.

Common sorrel: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May and September.

1. Sow in March–May or in August where it is to grow; you can also set young plants in April–May or in September.
2. Loosen the soil and mix in a few spadefuls of compost; remove all weed roots.
3. Sow thinly in rows 30 cm apart at about 1 cm deep and firm lightly; set plants at the same depth as in their pot.
4. Thin the seedlings to 25–30 cm apart.
5. Water in and spread a mulch of compost or grass clippings around the plants.

Care

Water

Keep the soil moist, especially in a dry summer: dry soil makes the leaves tough and speeds up bolting.

Feeding

In spring, give compost or organic fertiliser. After a heavy harvest, give a little extra.

Harvesting

Pick young outer leaves 5–10 cm long and leave the heart. Older leaves are more sour and tougher.

Flower stems

Cut them off as soon as they appear. This encourages new leaves and stops the plant seeding itself.

Renewing

Divide or replace the plant after 3–4 years: old plants give coarser, more sour leaves.

Tip: Sow in spring or in August and pick the young leaves for soup and sauce. Do not eat too much: sorrel contains a lot of oxalic acid.

Common sorrel: when to prune it?

Pruning months: May–July.

When: In May–July: cut off the flower stems as soon as they appear and cut the plant back in summer for new leaves.

How:

• Cut flower stems off at the base, before the flowers open.
• After a heavy harvest or in July, cut all the leaves back to 5 cm above the ground; fresh, tender leaves regrow.
• Remove yellowed or damaged leaves throughout the season.
• In February–March you can clear away last year’s dead leaves.

Caution: Sorrel contains oxalic acid: use it in moderation in the kitchen. If you leave the flower stems, the plant seeds itself freely.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Sowing

In March–May and in August, 1 cm deep, in rows 30 cm apart. Germinates in 2–3 weeks.

Division

In spring or in September: lift the clump, divide it into pieces with roots and replant them separately.

Common sorrel: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, down to about −30 °C: no protection is needed, even in hard winters.
• The leaves die back or go limp in winter; in March fresh shoots appear.
• In a pot: stand the pot in a sheltered place and wrap it in hessian so that the roots do not freeze solid.

Diseases and pests

• Slugs: Holes in young leaves. Collect them, or put a barrier around the plants.
• Bolting: The plant makes flower stems and the leaves turn tough. Cut the stems off and water more.
• Rust: Small orange pustules under the leaves. Cut off and bin the affected leaves; the plant then regrows.
• Aphids: On young shoots. Rinse off with water; ladybirds usually clear them up.

Through the year

• March: First leaves to pick. Sow and divide.
• April: Sow or plant. Add compost.
• May: Harvest. Cut off flower stems.
• June: Flowering. Keep cutting off flower stems. Water in dry spells.
• July: Cut the plant back for new leaves.
• August: Sow again for leaves in autumn.
• September: Plant or divide. Still plenty to harvest.
• November: Clear dead leaves. Lay mulch.

Edible and useful

Leaves (March–June and September–October)

Pick the young, fresh green leaves from March to June and again in September–October; in summer, when the plant flowers, they become tough and more sour. Cut off the flowering stems so the plant makes new leaves. Sorrel tastes fresh and lemony: raw in a salad, in soup, in a sauce for fish or eggs, or wilted as a vegetable.

Storing

Fresh, a few days in the fridge in a bag. When cooked, the colour changes from bright green to olive green: that is normal. Wilted sorrel (as a purée) can be frozen in portions for up to 6 months. Drying is pointless.

Caution: Like spinach and rhubarb, sorrel contains oxalic acid: eat it now and then, not large amounts every day, certainly not with kidney stones, gout or rheumatism, and give young children only a little. Do not cook it in an aluminium or iron pan, which the acid attacks. Do not confuse young sorrel with young lords-and-ladies (arum), which is very poisonous: arum has larger, glossy, arrow-shaped leaves with net-like veins and grows in shady woods. Only pick when you are sure.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Sorrel soup (Dish · 4 people · 35 min)
• Sorrel sauce for fish (Dish · 4 people · 15 min)

Good for wildlife

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• The species name acetosa comes from the Latin acetum (vinegar), after the sour taste.
• When cooked, sorrel leaves lose their fresh green colour and turn olive green: this is normal and harmless.
• The caterpillars of the small copper butterfly feed on common sorrel and other sorrel species.