Now you Sea it.

You can see why our ancestors lived by the sea; not only was there an array of protein rich maritime creatures to dine on but also plenty of greens. A couple of weeks ago we stopped off at a childhood haunt of mine on the other side of the border in Dunwich. There's a fascinating story about this sunken village but for today I'm concentrating on wild plants.

Sea Kale crambe maritima, is one of the few English vegetables that does not grow in the Mediterranean. It's popularity and value as a food crop has led to its rarity but it can still be found on the beaches of East Anglia and the south coast. It thrives on shingle beaches and reacts to being buried by storm debris. Its a forced growth, a natural version of the rhubarb pot and rapid.

Looks familiar? Unsurprisingly, sea kale can be cooked in the same fashion as our cultivated varieties. French chef Marie-Antoine Careme published his cookbook in 1834 and suggested serving sea kale (colewort) with buttered toast or fried in breadcrumbs, with a sprinkle of lemon juice and bechamel sauce. A bit poncy for me I'm afraid. Due to its scarcity , I would recommend that you cultivate your own plants in the garden rather than wild harvest and they'll live for years. The leaves need to be blanched and are very tasty when cooked fresh like asparagus.

As you can see, it's still very popular with the locals! In 1795, the botanist William Curtis wrote a pamphlet extolling its culinary virtues, when its popularity soared and for years it was harvested in large quantities to be sold at Covent Garden. This led to a dramatic depletion of the wild plants from which it has never fully recovered.

The Romans and the Greeks loved sea kale. It was an excellent source of green vegetable on long voyages and was pickled or salted to be stored in barrels. The fibre is good for the digestive tract, has plenty of immune boosting vitamin C and is an excellent source of hormone-regulating iodine. Who needs those fancy ornamental cabbages for the borders? Plant sea kale instead and bring a little bit of the English seaside to your dinner plate.

With love, Annie x

© Norfolk Psychics 2016

Bibliography

Freethy Ron: Agar to Zenry (The Crowood Press, 1985)

Jordan Michael : A Guide to Wild Plants ( Millington, 1976)

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