Sorrel Plant Uses - Tips On Using Sorrel Herbs In Cooking

Cooking with sorrel is popular in Eastern Europe where it is used in soups, stewed with vegetables, or added to meat or egg dishes. The Greeks add it to spanakopita, a phyllo pastry stuffed with spinach, leeks, and feta cheese. In Albania, sorrel leaves are simmered, marinated in olive oil, and used to fill byrek pies.

How do you use sorrel herb?

Sorrel is also commonly wilted into soups and incorporated into pasta dishes to add brightness and acidity. Sorrel also makes a great addition to a spring greens mixture, adding a tangy herbaceous flavor while holding up structurally to various dressings and toppings.

What is the plant sorrel used for?

Sorrel is used for reducing sudden and ongoing pain and swelling (inflammation) of the nasal passages and respiratory tract, for treating bacterial infections along with conventional medicines, and for increasing urine flow (as a diuretic). Sorrel is also an ingredient in the herbal cancer treatment Essiac.

Is Sorrel safe to eat?

When taken by mouth: Sorrel is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when consumed in food amounts. It is also POSSIBLY SAFE to take sorrel in medicinal amounts as part of certain combination products.

How do you use red sorrel?

Red sorrel can serve as a thickener for soups and stews. It can also be used in place of rennet in making cheese. Mix Red sorrel leaves with mixed greens for a citrusy addition to salads. Steep whole leaves in boiling water and add sugar or another natural sweetener for a lemon-less lemonade.

What are the side effects of sorrel?

Wood sorrel is UNSAFE, especially when used when used in higher doses. Wood sorrel can cause diarrhea, nausea, increased urination, skin reactions, stomach and intestine irritation, eye damage, and kidney damage. Swelling of the mouth, tongue, and throat can make speaking and breathing difficult.

Is Sorrel a fruit or vegetable?

Common sorrel or garden sorrel (Rumex acetosa), often simply called sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock. Sorrel is a common plant in grassland habitats and is often cultivated as a leaf vegetable or herb.

Does sorrel like sun or shade?

Sorrel Care

Plants will grow best in full sun, although a little partial shade will keep them going longer into summer.

Does sorrel need full sun?

Plant sorrel in full sun. Sorrel grows best in well-worked, well-drained soil rich in organic material. Add aged compost to planting beds before planting. Sorrel prefers a soil pH of 5.5 to 6.8.

Does sorrel come back every year?

Two perennial herbs that I wouldn't be without are lovage and sorrel. ... They come up every year, survive on little attention, and are among the first plants to provide fresh green leaves in spring. They also pack powerful flavors.

Is Sorrel the same as spinach?

Sorrel, also known as spinach dock, is quite similar to spinach in appearance, and similarly chock-full of nutrients.

What is sorrel and ginger good for?

Ingesting sorrel regularly helps to optimize the body's immune system and prevent illness due to its high Vitamin C content. Sorrel also has significant levels of iron which helps improve circulation throughout the body by boosting red blood cell production and oxygen levels in vital organs.

Is Sorrel good for hair?

Sorrel leaves are an excellent tonic for your mane. They can make your hair healthy, strong, and lustrous. Sorrel is rich in vitamins A, B, and C. All these vitamins are amazing for dry and damaged hair.

Why is my sorrel bitter?

An important note about sorrel: its bitter flavor comes from oxalic acid, so only cook sorrel in unlined aluminum or cast iron, or else it will turn an unappetizing shade of brown. Regardless, it will still lose some of its vibrant green color once you cook it down.

Is red sorrel poisonous?

Red sorrel is not considered poisonous to humans, and is often eaten as a pot-herb or green. ... Red sorrel contains oxalic acid, which can poison livestock if consumed in sufficient quantity; the seeds are said to be poisonous to horses and sheep.

Is Sorrel the same as hibiscus?

Sorrel is “the favourite drink of Jamaicans at Christmas time, made from the sorrel plant, a low bushy shrub with red stems and calices, which comes into season toward the end of the year. Note that the “sorrel” here is a Caribbean name for hibiscus flowers, also called jamaica in Spanish. ...

Is Sorrel good for your blood?

Jamaican Sorrel drink also helps to reduce blood pressure. By significantly reducing elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, Sorrel has been shown to minimize the risk of heart disease, as it helps avoid artery-clogging. It also has benefits when used daily. Sorrel drink also reduces cholesterol levels.

Does sorrel drink spoil?

How long does sorrel drink last? Traditionally, sorrel can be made with fresh sorrel and made very sweet and left to ferment for a year in glass bottles.

Can diabetics drink sorrel?

The plant also helps to maintain regular bowel movements, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar. The sorrel fibre may also help ward against certain health conditions including cancer, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.

What does sorrel mean?

: any of various plants or plant parts with sour juice: such as. a : any of various docks (such as Rumex acetosa and R. acetosella) also : the leaves used as a potherb.

What is eating my sorrel?

Pests and Bugs That Eat Sorrel

Sorrel pest problems are limited mostly to aphids, snails, and slugs. You may also find that some species of butterfly or moth larvae will feed on the leaves. ... You may see slugs and snails in or around the plants early in the morning. Both these and larvae will make holes in the leaves.