Foraging for Sheep’s Sorrel

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Photo Credit: https://foragerchef.com/sheep-sorrel/

Sheep’s Sorrel (Rumex acetosella), which may also be called Field Sorrel, Red Sorrel, or Sour Weed, has a sharp citrus taste, which makes it great for use in soups, sauces and garnishes. Its leaves and flowers are used raw in salads, or its leaves can be used to replace lemon or lime in dishes requiring an acidic zing. It can also be used in any recipe that calls for cultivated French Sorrel (Rumex scutatus).

The basal rosette leaves are best harvested in the spring when they are the most tender and best for eating. Leaves are roughly ¾ to 2 ½ inches long and up to ¾ inches wide and typically have flares at the bottom, giving them an arrowhead shape. Simply clip them off with garden scissors. When gathering, look for plants that haven’t started to grow a flower stalk yet and where most of the leaves crowd out from its basal rosette. Bigger leaves are easier to harvest and often more tender. Also, it is well worth the effort to remove the leaf blades from their long and fibrous leafstalks.

After harvesting, the leaves should be refreshed in cold water, drained, rolled in a dry towel and stored in a zip-top bag in the fridge where they’ll last for 6-7 days, or longer, as pictured above.
Change the towel occasionally.
Source: https://foragerchef.com/sheep-sorrel/

You can also dry the plant, much like drying basil leaves and using the dried leaves to make teas or to toss into rice.

Nutrition Info:  One cup of chopped leaves contains –

  • Vitamin A (>3,300mg) and Vitamin C (60mg)
  • 60mg calcium, some magnesium, some phosphorus, 500mg potassium, and a small amount of zinc

Cautionary Note:  Like all the sorrels, Sheep’s Sorrel contains a high amount of oxalic acid, a compound also found in rhubarb, spinach and chard. If you’ve had a history of kidney stones, your doctor may advise you to avoid sorrel and other high oxalate ingredients.  On a related note, if you cook any Rumex species, it is best to use a glass or ceramic pot rather than any metallic pot.

Recipes for your culinary consideration:

Need more motivation?  Start humming Bust a Move, by Young MC, to yourself and then read these replacement lyrics inspired by Sheep’s Sorrel!

Happy foraging!

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