Clay / Heavy / Moist / Well Drained / Light / Sandy
Sorrel leaves have a tangy taste, with hints of citrus. They may be harvested as a baby leaf and used in salads, but can also be harvested when mature and cooked like spinach. Sorrel works well as an accompaniment to fish, meat and egg dishes, and as an ingredient in soup and gratins. Leaves may also be added raw to dishes.
Red-veined sorrel, Rumex sanguineus, has pointed, bright lime-green leaves with dark red veins. Leaves are best harvested when young and used raw in salads.
Sorrel is easy to grow, producing masses of pale green leaves. It's a hardy perennial so can be treated as a cut-and-come-again crop, and leaves may even be harvested in mid-winter.
Grow sorrel in a sunny or partially-shady spot, in a fertile and moisture-retentive soil.
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Rumex and wildlife
Rumex has no particular known value to wildlife in the UK.
