The very ample and tender leaves of the Large Sorrel of Belleville are eaten raw mixed with salad, cooked in soup, with cream, in juice or in sauce.

Successful sowing of sorrel

Sow in seedbeds or pots from March to June. Cover the seeds with seed compost one to two times their thickness, firm down lightly, then water. Keep the soil moist throughout the germination period.

Sorrel cultivation

Transplant the plants in the garden when they have 4-5 leaves, spacing them 30 cm apart in light, humus-rich, fresh soil in a sunny location, or even partial shade during the summer. Once established, sorrel can remain in place for 4 or 5 years without any problem.

It is advisable to remove the flower stalks as soon as they appear to avoid exhausting the plant and prevent the spread of seeds. This will encourage the production of tender shoots. The leaves disappear in winter, but the sorrel starts growing again the following spring. Watch out for snails and slugs, which love sorrel leaves. Sorrel prefers the wet periods of spring and autumn, so remember to water at the base if the weather is dry.

Sorrel Harvest

The leaves can be harvested as they grow by detaching the leaves from the base. Sorrel is one of the first vegetables to be harvested, starting in March. The more leaves you harvest, the more you stimulate the growth of new shoots.