How to cook / eat Alexanders?

[fireman sam]

Hi All,

This weekend gone I got to go to the coast and tried a few wild edibles including Alexanders. However, I found it to be almost inedible due to being rock hard despite cooking it for a good ten minutes in boiling water. Now I know they are definitely edible, and apparently very nice, so clearly I did something wrong. As such, I was wondering if someone could answer the following questions for me regarding their harvesting and prep, if so many thanks.

1. Exactly which bit of the plant is it that is normally eaten? Is it the bottom of the main stem just above where it goes into the ground or the bottom of the leaf stalk just above where it is attached to the main stem? Or Either?

2. What time of year is it edible and what time of year is the best time to harvest it?

3. Did I cook it long enough (10 mins)?

Many thanks in advance

 

[Asa Samuel]

I'll skip all the bits on description and history but here's what it says in food for free:

The most succulent part of the plant is the stem. you should cut those leaf stems which grow near the base of the plants, where they are thick and have been partially blanched by the surrounding grass or the plant's own foliage. You should be able to cut about such inches of pinkish stalk from each stem (discarding the greener bit). Don't be put off by the plant's rather cloying Angelica smell; this dissapears almost completely with cooking. Cook these stems in boiling water for not more than ten minutes. Then eat them like asparagus, with molten butter. They have a wonderfully delicate texture, and a pleasantly aromatic taste.

Phew, that took a long time to type

It also says that at one point all parts of the plant has been used, such as soup from the upper parts of the roots, flower buds were used in medieval salads and the young leaves make a spicy addition to modern green salads.

Hope that helps.

 

[Iona]

I think it might be a bit late for them now... we don't get them round here, too far from the sea I think, but my friend always picks them early in the year, and peels the stalks before cooking lengths of it for only a few mins. Maybe it's the peel that's the issue? or maybe they're just a bit too old and not so tender.

 

[fireman sam]

Thanks for both of your advice and for the huge section of typing Asa!

 

[Asa Samuel]

No problem, I've had a look at the alexanders round here and can't find any pink bits!

Let me know how you get on.