Red leaved sorrel

I have been waging war with the wild sorrel growing on the stream bank...it has a tap root that goes down forever..and it's difficult to keep contained. I have the tiny leafed rumex acetocella (sheep sorel) growing in drifts in my meadow... I love it as the seed heads make a golden furze along the margins of the alfalfa with it's purple blossom.

i think it is such a lovely herb, it is so lemony, makes nice soup, maybe a use for your stream bank harvest..... lol

i try to discourage it from flowering ,if poss lol, just want the plant to build up, i had one 2 yrs ago and let it seed before it frazzled and died on me in my now ex-veggie plot, but found 2 tiny little seedlings back under the weeds, one of which is this one now and it is given a lot more care in this bed.

Will have to take a closer, (kinder) look at the sorel near the stream. Take a courageous step and taste a leaf to see if it's like yours. I nibble the leaves of the sheep sorel tho...they have a lovely taste all their own...I wander about nibbling sorel...mint....clover blossom...lol...I'm a grazer by nature, I suppose!.

bon appétit!

Tried some of the tall sorel and the flavour was very mild....interesting.. took a pic of a seed head, they are excellent self seeders!

mine has a very strong lemon flavour, wonder if it is the same plant...
talking about lemon tastes, you havent got any lemongrass amongs your herbs?
i made an aubergine curry with the first of my own lemongrass this year, this must be one of the nicest lemon flavoured herbs around.
i have been grazing too many cherry plumbs today, our wild hedgerow has at least half a dozen mirabelles in it, me thinks clafoutis for pud tomorow :~))

don't have the climate for lemongrass to be perennial, but I could plant some as an annual crop I suppose. speaking of lemon flavours I have some melissa officinalis which survived the move...It had taken over whole beds in my other garden...strong sturdy stuff, great self seeder, and the aroma of the leaves is heavenly. It's nice in tea, in marinade or in salad dressing. BTW...I found a stevia plant on a freebie table at the local grocery store. planted it in the new bed by the deck...will bring it indoors in the autumn as I'm pretty sure it wouldn't over-winter. The leaves are so sweet...

will take a photo of my sorel leaves/plant. it looks very like yours except for the red colour.

i dont think lemon grass is fully hardy here either, but last autumn i cut it down and smothered it with cut grass and weeds and whatever was around and banked it up really thick, with 4 sticks around and bit of string to hold it in place during the storms, lo en behold it came up this spring, i had lost 2 plants to frosts before, so had no idea if this wld work.
melissa officionalis is a real pest in my grden, i like it but not in bindweed like proportions!! it does pull out easily if i get there early enough though.
lots of lovely rain today, so sorry for all uk Goyers, i heard it is really dire there at the moment. A strange year