Tales from my Garden

An herb/leafy green that has caught my attention as of late is Sorrel. I never heard much about it before I saw some of the blood veined variety last fall. I purchased it because it looks lovely, and the tag said it is good in salads, soups, sauces and with fish. Unfortunately it did not make it through the winter. While at the Van Dusen Plant Sale two weeks ago I saw some of the regular/garden variety and picked it up. I think I may get some more of the blood veined variety as well because it will look beautiful in salad. I did add it to salmon last year and has a unique flavour.
According to TheStar.com sorrel is rich in vitamin A, it has calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin C. In a language of herbs list sorrel is associated with: affection.
Brenda Hyde wrote an informative piece about sorrel at Old Fashioned Living. Including some great sounding recipes.
I have an up and down relationship with herbs. I love to look at them, and I've worked with some quite a lot. I have tried to grow several with no luck. Lavender and I have had some issues and as I've mentioned our winter was harsh last year leaving most of my potted herbs dead. Rosemary, thyme, mint and oregano are the four that I am most familiar with. What I look for when choosing herbs to grow is multi-purpose ones. I need them to be versatile especially if I'm going to use them for cooking. So sorrel has become my herb of the year. I see myself trying out some recipes and especially adding it to salads for colour and flavour. I have not looked into any magical properties as of yet. I am intrigued by it's association with affection which makes me think of including it in some bouquets, the possibilities are endless.