Herb: Seacale


Latin name: Crambe maritima


Family: Cruciferae



Edible parts of Seacale:

Young leaves - raw or cooked like spinach. They have a pleasant almost nutty flavour and go well in a mixed salad. They also make a very pleasant cooked vegetable. Older leaves develop a bitterness and are not so pleasant. Young shoots - raw or cooked. Available in the spring, they have a delicate nutty flavour with a crisp texture. The shoots are usually blanched and can be cooked like asparagus. When properly cooked they retain their crispness and have a very agreeable flavour, somewhat like hazelnuts but with a slight bitterness. Root - cooked. Rich in starch and sugars. Young flower buds - raw or cooked. The flowering shoots are harvested when about 10 - 15cm long and before the flowers have opened. Used like sprouting broccoli, they are quite nice raw and delicious when lightly steamed.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
60 cm
(2 feet)

Flowering:
June to
August

Habitat of the herb:

Coastal sands, shingle, rocks and cliffs near the sea, often on the drift line.

Other uses of Seacale:

Plants can be used for ground cover when spaced about 60cm apart each way.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - sow March/April in a seedbed outdoors and either thin the plants out or move them to their permanent positions when about 10cm tall. Plants can be cropped once they are more than 12 months old. The young plants are very attractive to slugs so some protection will often be needed. Germination can be slow so it is best to sow the seed in pots in a cold frame. Germination usually takes place in 3 - 26 weeks at 15°C. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out into their permanent positions when they are at least 10cm tall. Division in spring or autumn. Dig up the root clump and cut off as many sections as you require, making sure they all have at least one growing point. The larger of these divisions can be planted out straight into their permanent positions, though small ones are best potted up and grown on in a cold frame until they are established. Root cuttings, 3 - 10 cm long, in spring. These can be planted straight into the open ground or you can pot them up in the greenhouse and plant them out once they are growing strongly.

Cultivation of Seacale:

Coastal sands, shingle, rocks and cliffs near the sea, often on the drift line.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Crambe maritima:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.