Bunias orientalis 'Turkish Rocket'

Brassicaceae: a biennial/perennial herb to 60–100cm, with a many-branched, stem upper part branching, roughly haired. Found by old barracks, fortresses, beside roads and railways, waste ground, mills, cattle yards, sometimes fields. The four petaled flowers are yellow, and about 1cm across. The Inflorescence abundantly branched, raceme, extending in fruiting stage. Flowers with sweet fragrance. Blooming from May-August. The leaves are lanceolate, hairy, large-toothed, rosette leaves usually pinnately lobed at base. Native to North America. Europe - Caucasus, Southern Russia. Also, found naturalized in Britain.

USES:

The leaves and young stems can be eaten raw or cooked, the young leaves have a mild cabbage flavour that goes very well in a mixed salad. The cooked leaves make an excellent vegetable. The leaves are available early in the year, usually towards the end of winter, and the plant will continue to produce leaves until late autumn, with a bit of a gap when the plant is in flower. The flower buds and flowering stems can also be eaten raw or cooked, they have a pleasant mild flavour with a delicate sweetness and cabbage-like flavour, they make an excellent broccoli substitute though they are rather smaller.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Sow seeds around April in a cold frame. Germination is usually very quick and good. Prick out the seedlings into pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer. The seed can also be sown in situ in the spring, though the seedlings are rather prone to slug damage. A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in any soil in a sunny position. Plants have also been seen growing exceedingly well in the dappled shade of a woodland garden. Slugs are this plants nemesis.

HARVESTED: 2020

 

APPROX. 15 SEEDS