Sea Kale "Crambe Maritima" Root

Sea Kale is the perfect food plant, every part is edible. It is believed to have been a staple of our Irish ancestors, as they foraged for food along the sea shore.
Having experimented with eating various parts of the plant, the root remained untested. So today, when thinning out the plants and accidentally digging up a large section of tap root, it was time to try it out in the kitchen.

Sea Kale "Crambe Maritima" Root

Knowing that our recipe books were not going to be of assistance, it was to Ray Mears and Gordon Hillman's Wild Food that we turned. They confirmed that that the roots of Crambe Maritima were indeed edible, both when eaten raw and cooked.
Despite Ray Mears' preference for raw seakale root, it was found not to be particularly appetising - faintly remeniscent of raw turnip and quite fibrous, when compared to the more pleasing raw scorzonera root, dug at the same time, for comparison purposes. Next step, was to roast the two roots alongside carrots, onion, celeriac and pumpkin.
The sea kale root was improved by cooking - tasting quite starchy, but unable to compete with the scorzonera and other roots. There is no doubt that it definitely requires some very special culinary expertise, way beyond our capabilities.
Moral of the story: foraged foods may be nutritious and good for you, but there is often a very good reason why they are not more commonly eaten.
If anyone has had a better experience, it would be good to hear about it.

Email: kilkennyseakale@gmail.com

Kilkenny Hops - Humulus Lupulus

September is the time of year to harvest your own hops (humulus lupulus) to brew beer. Kilkenny used to be famous for its hop farms, but no longer. This does not mean that you cannot cultivate your own: they are easily grown, just keep them out of the wind and give them something to climb up.

Hops growing in County Kilkenny

The petals from the green hop flowers make an interesting substitute for fresh basil in tomato dishes, such as the one below.

Heirloom/heritage tomatoes and hops on toast

Heritage Tomatoes with Hops on Toasted Brown Bread
To make the tomato paste, roughly chop some freshly picked tomatoes and place in bowl with a little chopped onion, add sea salt, freshly squeezed home grown garlic, olive oil, sea salt and ground pepper. Tear the petals of two hop flowers, mix into the tomato paste. Add the mixture to some brown bread or half a brown bread roll and place in a medium for about 15 minutes, then top with a few extra hop petals for a seasonal snack.

Email: kilkennyseakale@gmail.com

Nettle Soup

Irish Restaurants seldom serve Irish food, so your only hope is to make it yourself. Nettle Soup is a classic, traditional and delicious dish, cheap and easy to make. Young nettles are plentiful and easily found by even the most reticent of foragers.

Wild Nettles (Urtica Doica) growing in County Kilkenny

Pick young nettle tops, using rubber gloves, you can pick them without gloves if you know how to grab the stems and leaves, without getting stung.

Apologies to Darina Allen for corrupting her recipe.

RECIPE
Large bunch nettles
Tablespoon of butter
3 shallots or 1 onion or leeks
1 medium Golden Wonder Potato
1 litre good quality homemade chicken stock

Freshly picked Nettles (Urtica Doica)

Melt the butter until bubbling, add finely chopped shallots and well diced Golden Wonder potato, add a little salt and pepper. Cover and cook over a low heat until the potato is soft. Add the stock and simmer for a couple of minutes, then add the chopped nettles, cook for another couple of minutes.

Nettle Soup

Puree the mixture in a blender until smooth (originally, it would have put through a hair sieve) and reheat before serving. A delicious Irish country soup, the traditional recipe would not have used potato, an introduced species - oatmeal or some other cereal would have been used instead.

According to Ray Mears and Gordon Hillman, Stinging Nettles (Urtica Doica) are a very good source of protein, as well as vitamins C & B, calcium, potassium iron, phosphorous, magnesium etc. So, give it a go...

Email: kilkennyseakale@gmail.com

Sea Kale in Season

SEA KALE (Crambe Maritima). 
Available from Glasrai and Goodies in Gowran.

A native Irish plant that grows on shingle beaches - so not to be found in County Kilkenny. It has become quite rare in the wild, so be sure to use only cultivated plants.

Sea Kale ready to be picked.

In prehistoric times, before the domestication of cereal crops, the root was an important source of carbohydrates, for the hunter-gatherer. The whole plant can be eaten, but usually it is the blanched young shoots, with their slightly nut like flavour, that are most sought after. In the past, shingle was heaped up around wild plants, growing along the edges of such beaches. This had the effect of blanching the plants.

Peron, J.Y., Gouget, M., Declercq, B., 1991 in their Composition nutritionnelle du Crambe Maritime reveal that Sea Kale not only tastes great but has a high protein and fibre content, a high quantity of potassium/low sodium and excellent calcium/phosphorus ratio, and contains good vitamins such as thiamine (Vitamin B1).

Freshly picked Sea Kale, showing blanched shoots and unblanched leaves.

In 1827, John M'Craith, a Kilkenny nurseryman, advertised Sea Kale plants for sale, alongside "Stove and Greenhouse Exotics". In 1834, specimens were successfully exhibited, from the Bishop of Ossory's gardens, by Mr. Monk (who, presumably, was the Bishop's head gardener), at the Kilkenny Horticultural Society's show.

It was a great favourite of the Victorians and Edwardians, but the vogue for Sea Kale declined with the demise of the walled vegetable garden.

Cooked blanched Sea Kale (top) and cooked unblanched Sea Kale leaves (below).

HOW TO COOK

Drop into boiling salted water and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until just tender. Drain pour melted butter over and sprinkle a little chopped parsley and serve. 

Young, unblanched leaves are pleasant to eat, if cooked in a similar manner, but lack the subtle nuances of the paler shoots.

Such a delicious vegetable deserves greater recognition, easily cooked, is worthy of further culinary exploration. 

Email: kilkennyseakale@gmail.com