There are several species of sorrel, most of which are found growing wild. These kinds are very sour and acid-tasting. The variety known as French sorrel is milder in flavor and is the type cultivated for culinary use. French sorrel grows in thick clumps like spinach. The broad, oval leaves are approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long and 3 inches (8cm) wide, and are joined to reddish stems, resembling a thin rhubarb. The small, greenish flowers appear in summer, near the top, and on either side, of long, scarlet-streaked stalks.
History and mythology
French sorrel is native to the south of France, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany, and is closely related to mountain sorrel, sheep’s sorrel, English or garden sorrel, and to the dock family. Long ago, all these plants were valued salad and pot herbs, and were once gathered wherever they were found growing wild, to be taken home and put into bubbling stew-pots, or mixed with other green leaves, for salads. Sorrel has a reputation for sharpening the appetite and was highly regarded in the time of Henry VIII. John Evelyn thought much of its addition to salads, saying that it: “. . . imparts a grateful quickness to the rest as supplying the want of oranges and lemons . ..”
Cultivation
Plants can be cultivated by sowing seed in a prepared box in spring (and in autumn (fall) in mild climates). When seedlings are big enough to handle, they should be planted out, leaving 6 inches (15cm) between each one. Alternatively, seed can be sown directly into the ground where the plants are to grow, then thinned out later to 6 inches (15 cm) apart. Root division of the clumps in the autumn (fall) is also a satisfactory method of increasing French sorrel. In summer, as soon as the flower stalks begin to rise, they should be cut off at the base to prevent the plant from going to seed. If this is done, sorrel will continue to flourish for many years. A small application of manure is beneficial occasionally and keeping the plants watered in dry weather is a necessity. Watch for snails before they eat away the young, succulent leaves. Caterpillars too, are fond of this plant.
Harvesting and processing
The fresh leaves are available throughout the year in moderate climates, so drying should not be necessary. However, if wishing to dry them, place freshly picked, unblemished leaves flat on a wire rack in a cool, dark place where the air can circulate around them. Store in airtight containers. Whole, washed young sorrel leaves may be carefully wrapped in foil, sealed down with the fingers at the edges, and deep frozen for some weeks. Sorrel sauce may also go into the deep freeze packed in sealed containers, then thawed before using. Another method, which was published in an old French cookery book of 1796 (and which I have not tested myself, but considered a good idea), was to preserve the leaves by cooking them over a slow fire with salt and butter until all moisture had evaporated. When half cold, the sorrel was pressed into pots. When quite cold, tepid melted butter was poured over the top and the pots were sealed down and kept in a dry place. Once opened, the contents would not keep for more than three weeks.
Various uses
Culinary
Formerly, one of the favorite culinary uses for sorrel was to cook and eat it like spinach, with the addition of well-beaten eggs and butter, or cream, to mellow the sharp flavor. Another well-known use for French sorrel, still popular today, is in soup. Sorrel sauce is a delicious accompaniment for cold poultry, fish gelatine moulds, hot boiled potatoes, and as a filling for omelets. Tender shortloin lamb chops, or lamb cutlets, bathed in a thin sorrel sauce are delicious. The young leaves torn into a tossed green salad give a pleasant, appetizing bite.
N.B. Sorrel, like spinach, should not be cooked in aluminum.
Medicinal
Sorrel leaves were eaten to assist the kidneys and digestion. They were made into a spring tonic for the blood and a cooling drink for fevers. As there is some oxalic acid present in the plant, the leaves should not be eaten too frequently. Culpeper writes: “… it is useful to cool inflammation and heat of the blood in agues, pestilential or choleric, or sickness and fainting, arising from the heart; to quench thirst and procure an appetite in fainting or decaying stomachs …” indeed, sorrel leaves were often eaten by country folk to allay thirst, although it would have been one of the various wild sorrels and not the cultivated French sorrel.
Cosmetic
Sorrel contains calcium and because of this is listed as one of the herbs which retard the signs of old age, helping to keep the skin firm and wrinkle-free. Many herbs are recommended for use in a facial steam, different herbs being suited to various skin types. Sorrel is suggested for dry, sensitive skins. Sorrel is also one of the herbs used in herbal cosmetics for healing acne. I have used an astringent cream based on sorrel. It is also recommended to be taken as a tea to help clear the skin.
Companion planting
We have found in our own herb garden, that French sorrel has been growing happily in three large clumps for 20 years next to oregano, the oregano almost engulfing the sorrel. Neither herb has had any disease and they are exceptionally healthy plants. Snails and caterpillars are the worst enemies of sorrel.
