Winter’s Bounty: Fresh Sorrel
As all of my other herbs have given up, sorrel has become my go-to winter aromatic, especially since I discovered that the more I pick it, the better it grows.
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Don’t be fooled by the spring green of the leaves in that picture. My sorrel plant is thriving in pale, verdant color right now, and it’s winter.
As all of my other herbs have given up, sorrel has become my go-to aromatic, especially since I discovered that the more I pick it, the better it grows. I’ve been chiffonading the leaves into thin slivers and adding them to salads. A Spiced Kabocha Squash Soup got a cup or so of torn sorrel added to it before I puréed it, and the tangy flavor it imparted brought out the cinnamon and ginger flavors in the soup. A few wilted leaves I found in the back of the fridge made their way into a pot of steamed spinach and gave the side dish a lemony note.
I could go on and on with past and future possibilities, but the gist of what I’m trying to say is this: If you see a bunch of sorrel at a winter farmers’ market, snatch it up. If you find a sorrel plant for sale in a greenhouse, even in winter, grab it. (They’re hearty like chives and will usually come back even if they look a little worse for the wear.) Or if you end up having to wait, don’t forget to grab a seedling or two when you’re planning an herb garden in the spring.