Self select: Fresh wild marine vegetable
Samphire..... Sea Asparagus (US: sea bean).
Season starts very soon. Please call back or phone. Prized by chefs and harvested locally from the Gower, near Swansea, samphire, also known as glasswort or pickle-plant is a fleshy-leaved plant which grows on seaside marshes and on rocks near the sea. It has a sea-salty flavour and a crisp, interesting texture. Described as not dissimilar in taste to salted lettuce, it is mouth-wateringly refreshing.
Can be used as a salad green or as a cooked vegetable (with no added salt). Use it fresh in salads or serve it with fish, simply boiled and dipped in melted butter and eaten like asparagus.
It has a short season and is not a cultivated crop, so it is fairly uncommon. It can also be pickled in white wine vinegar with a little sugar.
Wild sea asparagus
Origin: Gower, Wales
Supplier: Kidner Organics (Soil association approved)