Not too easy to tell the scale, but this looks like a big common or garden dock, or maybe even burdock to me. If it's really huge, and you say it gets as big as 3-4', then could it even be wild horseradish? Ours grows like mad and we've had to try digging it all up because it took over the rhubarb plot. They are all crucifers, I think, and the roots go down for miles.

Hi Gattina, Thank you, you could be right about wild horseradish (the leaves were about 12" long) the roots were deep and huge and it took us an hour of heavy spade & fork digging to even shift just a bit, will it grow back do you think? That is if we missed a bit! Lol

If you missed even a tiny bit, it'll be back, "sure as eggs is eggs." I'm afraid. not so LOL.

But if it is horseradish you can make sauce for your beef with the roots you dig up!

It looks like a large docken to me.

On this Q...Sorry Grandmage.

I like to cook Japanese food and Burdock (Gobo) is a common, like spuds, foodstuff...why can't I buy it here

Steragram, you have to wear a gasmask to do that - it's AWFUL stuff to process. I know, I tried it this summer. Thought my eyes and sinuses would never recover.SO much easier to pop along to Tescos for a jar of the ready-made!

That's if you happen to HAVE a Tesco's handy! lol! We ask for things like horseradish sauce as part of 'payment' for our families coming from Britain to stay - along with M&S teabags and Thornton's chocs. Mmmmm!

My OH has just departed for northern climes (Altrincham) with a Union Jack and a shopping list, top of which are teabags, chocolate and horseradish sauce! We used to put redcurrant jelly and Bramleys seedlings and parsnips on the list, too, but now we grow our own! Just waiting for the frost to give the parsnips some flavour before we start harvesting. Yummie! Italians consider them cattle fodder and can't understand our liking for them.
D**n, forgot to put cranberry sauce on the list to go with the home-grown turkey. (not our home, I hasten to add) Our visitors get asked to bring the latest Weekend Telegraphs, tins of primer paint (Don't ask, it's a whole other story) and loads of cider if they are coming by car, and custard powder and porridge oats if they are flying. OH should (if luggage allowance permits) be bringing a lovely leg of lamb home with him, too. Can't wait!

Thanks all, your comments are appreciated! Still not sure what it is but it 'was' a monster!

Here we go again with our parallels Gattina! We also grow parsnips and 'remolachas' (beetroot). Our Spanish neighbour was wandering around our garden with us, checking that we were doing it right (!!), and asked why we were growing remolachas as we don't keep goats? Partner answered that I like them in salads and he was most amused! My mission in life is to teach Spaniards that vegetables on a plate next to their endless meat is lovely! (No hope!)

Strange, isn't it, Nariz? We would like to spread the gospel of hot plates and lots of lovely, lovely, WELL COOKED vegetables, but I am afraid limp salads and, if you're lucky, some spinach and soggy, soft roast potatoes, plus the awful "sottoaceto", which I just can't eat, on stone cold plates is the norm here. We aim to get a minimum of 4 veg on the plate at any meal (except breakfast, of course!) I suppose it's what you are used to. I make a rather nice pate with smoked mackerel and horseradish, and, until they know what's in it, Italian friends seem to love it. When we had guests to Sunday lunch on our daughter's birthday, she had to warn them not to touch the plates barehanded, and to make sure they went on the tablemats to protect the table. General astonishment and amusement, and then she spoilt it all by apologising for our funny English ways! They all put olive oil on the vegetables, anyway. Oh Dear!

Lol!

Nariz, parsnips in salad? How do you prepare them? I like them roasted, or as soup either spiced or with apple.

Not parsnips, Stera - beetroot! Beetroot are called 'remolachas' here, but I can never remember the Spanish name for parsnips - in fact, I don't think there is one! It seems to be a vegetable they just don't know! Not surprising as they all seem bent on trying to forget that vegetables exist at all - except for potatoes, beans and pimientos. :o)

Oh, that makes more sense then. I must have been reading with my eyes closed again.

Yeah .... I do that a lot these days. Have you noticed how heavy books seem to be now? I'm sure they never used to be so weighty!

I've noticed that, too! There have been a lot of books falling in the bathwater and off the bed recently. Can't possibly be because I keep dozing off in warm and comfortable places, could it? Especially after a hard day's digging in the cold. VERY heavy.

The only remedy Gattina is to take a shower instead. Even with an umbrella you would find it difficult to read there.
I think a lot of modern books really are heavier. Stick to paperbacks.