sea beat

[NetFrog]

Shellfish and seaweed I am very fond of, but actual plants around the seashore I am needing to brush up on this year which is a big aim of mine. Last year I wanted to ID at least 10 new edible mushrooms which I exceeded, as well as plants like sweet cicely, but mainly offshore ID.

So, rural Scotland, up in the Moray Firth, where the climate is not so great.... But not as bad as over on the west coast! Sea beet is my first of the year and I look to have it nailed. I forgoed eating it until I had a positive ID but am fairly happy with my ID now and it is growing in abundance. Has anyone got any experience of eating it? If so, ideas on prep and how does it taste? Can it be eaten raw? (rather cook it anyway). It is kinda tough looking so I am assuming a kale/cabbage type substitute?

Any views on it would be much appreciated!

 

[bushwacker bob]

The younger the leaves the better, It tastes like kale and is better fried in butter or peanut oil than boiled IME.
Samphire is the seashore veg of choice if you can find it.

 

[NetFrog]

Managed Samphire last year, was hoping for sea buckthorn also but google tells me I am in the wrong area :/ Not that I have hear great reviews about it but berries are a good addition. Rock as opposed to marsh samphire, yet to find the boggy stuff!

A fav seaweed of mine is thongweed. Have you tried it? Loverly stuff

The younger the leaves the better, It tastes like kale and is better fried in butter or peanut oil than boiled IME.
Samphire is the seashore veg of choice if you can find it.

 

[bushwacker bob]

Not tried Thongweed as it has patchy distribution along the south coast and the Solent has 4 tides a day to redistribute the plastics and garbage from the Channel.
Its not an area conducive to collecting stuff from the water.

 

[Harvestman]

I had sea beet on saturday, and it was lovely, just steamed and served.

 

[NetFrog]

Managed to get this off my camera at last - so just to help with my ID from those in the know, would this be sea beet?!

 

[21st century pict]

Sea Kale Crambe maritime X4 white petals Flowers June and July, should get a positive ID soon enough Bro.

 

[NetFrog]

Yeah I was starting to think Sea Kale!

 

[Ichneumon]

Sea beet! Take a look on this page for a good picture and to compare sea kale. (Scoll down a bit to find it)

http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Coastal.htm

 

[21st century pict]

Sea Beet Beta vulgaris, Flowers on a long green spike in July to September, I will have a look at the Fitter and Blamey Wild flower Book later Dude ...

 

[NetFrog]

Excellent link thanks, hard to mix up the two now I have seen them!

Sea beet! Take a look on this page for a good picture and to compare sea kale. (Scoll down a bit to find it)

http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Coastal.htm

 

[21st century pict]

Ichneumon maybe on the right track ,the sea kale in Google images looks curlier and more cabbage like.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

That's sea beet... It just has thicker stems and a slight sun blush, its a young plant.

It can be cooked just like spinach, steamed with a few drops of balsamic/cracked black pepper/butter or turned into a stew 10 mins before the end.
Unlike supermarket spinach, it keeps a large amount of mass so it go's a long way. Too much might be a bit of a nutrient OD for your system resulting in a mild case of deli-belly

The young, soft leaves can be used raw (once washed) in salads.

http://www.hayling.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=30495