The Salsify Page

And now, the page you've been waiting for...

The SALSIFY webpage

Latin name Tragopogon porrifolious, also known as The Oyster Plant.

The 'y' in Salsify is pronounced as in 'empathy'.

I have written this page to make this plant more widely known. It is easy to grow and it's roots are delicious, tasting like artichokes.

The flower is shown here (just incase you hadn't noticed) >

More details are given below.

Selection Programme

Back to Home Page

History and Background

Not much is known about the origins of Salsify although it is a member of the daisy family and is closely related to chicory, lettuce and dandelion. It is very similar to the yellow - flowered 'Goatsbeard' or 'Jack-go-to Bed-at Noon'. The latter is called this because its flowers tend to close at midday, a habit which salsify also appears to have (which is why I rarely see them!).

It is believed to have come from the Mediterranean area and occurs naturally in dry grassy meadows. However, it can self-sow very easily in British climates, as you will see in the 'selection' paragraphs.

Salsify is also often compared with Scorzonera (pronounced Scorzo neera). Although that plant is more productive and produces better roots, in my opinion Salsify is much more delicious.

It is believed to have been first cultivated in Italy in the early 16th century (and in England in the late 17th).

As mentioned before, salsify has a taste similar to Artichokes. Globe Artichokes are very fiddly and take a long time to grow. Jerusalem Artichoke tubers are easy to grow but are difficult to obtain and expensive. In addition, storage of tubers could be a problem if they cannot be left in the ground. NB/ all three contain inulin, a sugar suitable for diabetics.

Back to Contents

Growing Salsify

Salsify seed is best sown around mid-April because it has a long growing season, but as with most seed, does not like cold wet soil. The ideal soil is sandy and fertile but not too rich. If the ground is stony, clayey or over fertilised, the roots will fork.

The best variety in my opinion is 'Giant'. The 'Mammoth' variety was not so flavoursome, I seem to remember.

It can be planted in blocks or rows with a minium planting distance of 6 inches. It is best not transplanted because the roots can be rather delicate.

Although germination is about average, the plant grows slowly. At this stage it weeding is important to avoid it being swamped by similar looking grasses. In Autumn, it has a spurt of growth and in late October and November the roots are ready for harvesting (they look like thin cream coloured carrots).

When harvesting, the roots must be handled carefully as they bleed (orange).

If the roots are left in the ground, they should be covered with straw to protect from frost.

Many books on the subject say that if the roots are left till spring, the subsequent shoots can be treated like asparagus.

Back to Contents

Selection Programme

You will by now have noticed my enthusiasm for Salsify. However, it does have inherent characteristics which could be improved upon. If these features could be improved by selective breeding à la Charles Darwin, you would have a very popular vegetable.

These characteristics are:

1) The roots tend to fork more than other root vegetables (probably the worst feature of this plant).

2) The roots tend to go discoloured if not handled correctly.

3) The taste, while delicious, is perhaps too subtle, especially in the larger varieties

4) The roots are relatively small if grown in normal British conditions.

5) They take so long to grow.

Of course, it would be difficult to select for all of these traits all at once, so my first priorities are to a) generate a good seed stock and b) reduce the forking problem.

My experiment went as follows:

1992: Spring - sowed seed from supplier. Autumn - selected roots which werent forked and planted them again.

1993: Summer - plants flowered, collected seed (seed heads are like giant dandelions). Collected seed were much larger than original ones.

1994: Sowed collected seed - found that they germinated much better than supplier's seed. Autumn: got married (not to Salsify!) End of experiment.

1995 to 98: Salsify continue to self-sow. Seed normally viable for two years.

2000 Spring: New programme begins with self sown seed and supplier seed again. Vow not to get married again...

2000 Autumn: Despite a very wet year, all salsify and artichokes grew well. Unfortunately, the salsify roots were very forked ( I didn't follow my own advice) and even worse, did not cook as well as the Jerusalem Artichokes (which were far more productive, less tough and more tasty... I know - sacrilege!!). However, next year's salsify roots have been selected and replanted. The Globe Artichokes, which weren't supposed to flower in their first year, did flower... and continued to do so despite me taking off the flowerheads.

2001 Spring: Planted roots sprouted quickly, but not as well as the others I left in the soil. I left them there so that I could try the 'asparagus-like' shoots which 'grow in spring'. Well, I tried them, but can only say that they more closely resembled shoelaces than asparagus, or indeed, any other specimen in the plant kingdom.

2001 Summer: All the plants grew and flowered. I noticed that, like several other members of the Dandelion family, it had a suppressent effect on couch grass. The flowers were very pretty, and I did take photos, but they seem to be hiding somewhere.

2001 Late Summer: Got a massive harvest of seeds from the selected roots, but by this time, the allotment was getting a bit too much for me, so I had to give it up again. If anyone wants several hundred seeds, let me know!

End of story.

Back to Contents

The roots must first be thoroughly cleaned, which may be difficult due to the roots forking. There is no point trying to peel at this stage - that job is much easier after boiling, when the skin can be rubbed off.

I have tried various methods of cooking, but by far the best is to boil the roots in salted water for at least 20 minutes. The water must have a squirt of lemon juice to stop the roots going black

The salsify can then be served simply with a knob of butter. It is best eaten as a delicacy

Some recommend sautéing in butter, but that tends to harden its texture. Others suggest grating raw salsify - sounds unpalatable to me, but I'll have a go sometime. Salsify is so productive that there is often a surplus. Try making it into soup.

The 'asparagus' type flowering shoots which pop up in spring are recoomended in gardening books, but I've tried that. Although there are similarities with asparagus, they do not have the same flavour, and I found the outer leaves and base unedible (after 15 minutes boiling).

Back to Contents

Nutrition

According to the University of California, one 'cup' of cooked salsify (as opposed to a 'bowl' or a 'frying pan') has the following nutrional values:

40 calories, 3.5g of protein, 3.8g of fibre, 20.4g of carbohydrate

60mg calcium, 19mg magnesium, 1.7mg iron, 251mg potassium

very little vitamins A, B, C or E

Nutritionally, it is likened to parsnips except that it has slightly more protein and only half the calories.

Back to Contents