One of our neighbors gave us this plant last summer, but I didn't use it until this spring. I planted it in the center of our vegetable garden with other herbs. This spring, and now summer, I've been using it regularly.
Technically, salad burnet is an herb. However many people use it as a leafy vegetable, in greater quantity per dish than would be used by most herbs.
It is perennial and overwinters in the garden in zones 4 through 10, but can survive lower temperatures (zone 3) with a leaf mulch. Salad burnet can also be grown as an annual. It prefers cooler weather, making it a great addition to spring and early summer meals and beverages in my area.
It's habit is a rosette form comprised of thin stems with multiple toothed, coin-sized leaves along each side of the stem. It's these small leaves that are used in cooking.
Salad burnet has a mild cucumber flavor and is used in salads, mixed into cottage cheese, blended with cream cheese or butter to use as a sandwich spread, mixed with plain yogurt, sour cream, and/or mayo for a dip, in cold soups, in flavored water, and in herb vinegars. Its delicate flavor is best preserved when used in the raw form. However, it can be added to hot dishes like soup or scrambled eggs, just at the last minute. I've used the whole leaves in salads, but the leaves will impart more flavor to spreads and dips if chopped.
I've been using it primarily in salads. We like it in leafy green tossed salads. Tonight I also used a large handful in potato salad.
To use, you pick whole stems, then pluck off the individual leaves and discard the stems.
Nutritionally, salad burnet contains bioflavonoids and polyphenols like quercetin and caffeic acid. It is antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. And it also contains Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and some of the B vitamins as well as iron and potassium.
Plants can be started from seeds or cuttings. My neighbor started a flat of salad burnet from seeds for a garden sale and gave me one of her leftover plants. It did well last summer and could have been used, but I didn't yet know how to best use it. We did taste it, however, and thought the cucumber flavor was pleasant.
Like other herbs, salad burnet will eventually flower then go to seed. I've been removing the flower buds this month to prolong the production of leafy stems.
A good-to-know thing -- it's not invasive, but will spread through self-seeding.
I wanted to share about salad burnet because it's a lesser known garden addition, but one that my family is enjoying.
Thanks for sharing this. I had heard only the name before but knew nothing about it. I'll be looking into growing it here.
ReplyDeleteHi Cat,
DeleteSalad burnet might be a good fall green/herb in your area. It doesn't do well in extreme heat, but prefers cooler weather. You're so fortunate to be able to plant substantial fall crops in your area. I was thinking about your comments about growing green beans in the fall. I couldn't do that here. But, we do the best with what we have.
I have also only heard the name of this herb before, but have never tried it. My favorite non-standard salad green is mache, also known as corn salad. I studied in France years ago, and it was a favorite there. I had a community garden plot for a few years, and I used to grow it. So good! I also love oak leaf lettuce, which you can occasionally find at farmer's markets.
ReplyDeleteHi Tina,
DeleteI've grown mache a couple of times. Thanks for reminding me about it. I think I still have some mache seeds. I'll have to check to see if they still have viability.
Your time in France must have been wonderful in so many ways. I didn't realize they had community gardens there. Do you have any tips for growing mache?
Sorry, I wasn't clear. The community garden was here, not in France. I spent a year studying in Paris and it was one of the best experiences in my life. That was many years ago now.
ReplyDeleteAs for growing mache, I don't remember it being particularly hard to grow. I don't think it likes hot weather if I remember correctly.