12-06-2005, 12:37 PM
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The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:
In article ,
Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:
I had do a double-think when you said 'goosefoot' - it's just not a
problem here. Just shows the difference in our soils.
Yes. I have thought of growing it deliberately, because it is really
quite a good spinach-like plant and doesn't have the difficulties of
spinach. I keep meaning to try its seeds, and see what they taste
like. But it does like light soils and dryish conditions.
I collect it (and fat hen) in the fields round here, by the carrier-bag.
I've still got some in the freezer from last year. And the soil round
here is far from light or sandy...
Interesting. Do you know the Latin names of those plants? As I
understand it, goosefoot = fat hen = Chenopodium album, but I can
easily believe that there are variations in usage.
Yup, there's Good King Henry, Chenopodiun bonus-henricus; Good King
Henry; Chenopodium ficifolium, fig-leaved goose-foot; Chenopodium album,
fat hen; Atriplex patula, common orache; and lots of others - are all in
the goose-foot family, most of which are very good to eat. There is one
large one, either Chenopodium murale (sowbane, or nettle-leaved
goose-foot) or C. rubrum, red goose-foot, or possibly both, which grab
you by the throat and attack it a bit like arum lily leaves do.
It does like a rich soil, and will delight in an old muck-heap.
True. Or a compost heap :-)
The whole of the tops go in the pot, seeds and all, but they do need to
be young and tender: the mature seeds are not what I would call
scrumptious.
I may still try anyway, but thanks for the information :-)
I don't know why it has never been domesticated.
It was, until around Victorian times according to one of the natural
food authors, maybe Maybey, or possibly Michael Jordan.
It is a neolithic
food plant and, as we agree, is in no way inferior to spinach as a
food crop. Most pseudo-spinaches are very coarse, but it isn't.
The Tollund Man had seeds of goose-foot (amongst a lot of others) in his
stomach.
--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
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