Woad, Isatis tinctoria

Jeremy Bartlett's LET IT GROW blog Posted on by
Woad in full flower, May

Woad in full flower, May

One of the flowers I grow on the allotment is Woad, Isatis tinctoria.

Woad is a biennial member of the Brassicaceae (cabbage family). The plant forms a rosette of dark slightly bluish green leaves in its first year and at this point the plant is also putting down a long tap root. In the second year it grows up to five feet tall and produces a froth of bright yellow flowers, followed by flattened seedpods that become purplish brown when ripe.

Woad seeds prolifically and is an invasive weed in some parts of the world, such as parts of the United States. Because of the long tap root it is best to weed out any plants that are growing in the wrong place as soon as possible.

Woad is known for the use of its leaves in dyeing. It is grown commercially in Norfolk by Woad Inc, who offer dyeing workshops. Woad was probably used by British tribes in the Iron Age and the Iceni probably used the dye as a body paint in battle (read more). Several places in Britain are named after Woad. Glastonbury in Somerset means “place where the woad grows” and there are several villages with “Wad” in the name, such as Waddicar in Lancashire.

Woad has been culitvated all over Europe but it is native to the steppe and desert zones of the Caucasus, Central Asia to eastern Siberia and Western Asia. I first saw it growing on the lower slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily and my plants are a reminder of an enjoyable holiday visiting Etna, Stromboli and other southern Italian volcanoes.

The Garden At The Belvedere Centre (5)

Jeremy Bartlett's LET IT GROW blog Posted on by

Early June and time for another update on the garden at The Belvedere Centre. Since I last wrote about the garden on 15th May we’ve put in more plants and the existing plants have established themselves.

We had a week and a half of sunny and hot weather and the heavy clay in the centre of the garden cracked after only a few days of hot sunshine and several plants wilted alarmingly but they’ve recovered with a bit of water.

We now have two waterbutts and more are on their way. They’re not connected to the gutters yet but volunteers have filled them up with tap water, making watering after planting much, much easier.

Next step will be mulching the west-facing border to suppress weeds and conserve water.

Now for the photos:

Read the next update about the garden.

Shade border (detail)

Shade border (detail)

Centre of garden

Centre of garden (with Hakenechloa macra in foreground)

Geranium phaeum 'Album'

Geranium phaeum ‘Album’

Centre of garden

Centre of garden

Filling the watering can

Filling the watering can

West-facing border

West-facing border, with Aubretia, Salvia ‘Mainacht’, Geranium sanguineum ‘Striatum’ and Verbascum ‘Cotswold Queen’

 

Salsify, Tragopogon porrifolius

Jeremy Bartlett's LET IT GROW blog Posted on by
Salsify in flower, late May

Salsify in flower, late May

The Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius) is in flower at the allotment, and very pretty it is too, though you have to catch it in the morning as the flowers close up by about 1pm.

Salsify is a biennial vegetable. Sown in April or May, the plant forms thin, grass-like leaves in its first year and its roots can be harvested throughout the winter. Any plants that aren’t dug up go on to flower in the following late May or early June. After the flowers the plant has seedheads like a bigger dandelion clock and mobile seeds that float on the breeze until they land in a new growing site. Salsify grows well on the sandy loam on my allotment.

Salsify is also known as Oyster Plant or Vegetable Oyster because of the supposed similarity between the taste of the root and oysters. The roots are peeled before use in a number of different recipes, such as these on the BBC Food and Guardian websites. Peeling is quite messy as the roots are usually forked and contain a white latex that bleeds from the root onto your hands and the vegetable peeler.(According to Wikipedia, the latex can be made into a chewing gum, if you have the inclination to do this.)

The roots of Salsify contain the polysaccharide inulin, which is also found in Jerusalem Artichoke roots. Inulin is a low calorie carbohydrate and is suitable for diabetics, but it can cause bloating when eaten in large quantities. A typical serving of Jerusalem Artichokes is enough to cause discomfort but a serving of Salsify is much smaller in quantity and I find there are no side effects.

Salsify buds are tasty and the flowers are edible too, and are very attractive in a mixed salad.

Salsify is a native of the Mediterranean region but it is naturalised in the UK. I have seen it growing on road verges near Stalham and Happisburgh in Norfolk.