Monday 17 August 2009

Sea food

A plate of tasty golden samphire, from some of the many plants now flowering on the undercliff.

Rock samphire is also flowering now, and although it is said that it is better before this, there are still plenty of fresh leaves to be had. To my uneducated palate, the two samphires taste quite similar.
Richard Maybey warns, however, to wash plants from such places carefully, as "the bushy clumps that they grow in are often the only prominent vegetation along coastal paths and sea walls, and are ideal targets for perambulating dogs".
Glasswort (or marsh samphire) has appeared in small quantities this year, so is not being picked (apart from a little nibble occasionally). It is probably best pickled when found in good quantities.
Sea purslane "makes a succulent addition to salads".

So far as I know, annual sea blite is not edible, but is thriving in the pools by the sea wall.

Not Square-stalked St John's Wort, as I'd first thought, but Woody Fleabane (very rare)

Sea aster

Sea holly - its root was a delicacy, but not to be confused with the root of yellow horned poppy, which brings hallucinations.

Sea spurge, a strange plant

3 comments:

Greenie said...

Steve ,
You certainly won't go hungry with all that lot about .
Great series of plants .
Go easy on the Yellow Horned Poppy root .

DOT said...

I recall Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall doing something with samphire on one of his programmes - can't find what on his site but it looked tasty.

Warren Baker said...

Think i'll stick to chicken Steve.