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Origin Europe. A true UK native vegetable. Easy to grow. Grows year after year. Tastes like White asparagus, samphire.Along with watercress and perhaps leeks, sea kale is one of the very few truly native UK vegetables, once found on pebbly beaches of sandy coastal soils all over the country. Wonder why you havent seen one of these on your last seaside trip Well the short answer is that greedy Victorians loved its delicate, nutty flavour so much that they pushed it to the brink of extinction in the wild. In fact they are still a protected species today, which means the only way to get hold of their ivory stems for the kitchen is to grow them yourself!With its coastal origins, sea kale enjoys a site with particularly well drained soil in full sun. Dig a good couple of spadefuls of grit into the soil prior to planting and keep well watered while establishing. Apart from this your plants will only need a hardy pruning in the late autumn, cutting them down to ground level. Although they can be found growing native on beaches across the UK, they are a protected species meaning they are illegal to harvest from the wild the result of generations of mass over harvesting by Victorian foodies. Sow April June. Harvest July November.
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