Hibiscus Greens also know as "sour leaves"

The subject of this post is the leaf from the edible Hibiscus sabdariffa. Grown on our farm for 3 years, we are expanding our knowledge of this attractive heat loving bushy crop and its many uses. At first we grew this variety of hibiscus solely to harvest the bright red caylces called hibiscus flowers by many. When I offered some to a friend from India, she mentioned how her mom had cooked the tart tasting leaves in Indian cuisine. We couldn't have been more excited to find out there was a plant with edible summer greens already being grown on our farm in the scorching, humid days of July and August.  I will have to ask my friend if she would share her mom's recipe but I have found it rewarding and interesting searching for different ways to cook with it on my own.  As you can see from our photo, our plants have dark red stems and vibrant green leaves. We sell the leaves in bunches. The stems are too fibrous to use but it is easy to tear or cut the leaves off. They have an intensely tart taste fresh and cooked. Experiment with them by slicing them into ribbons and dropping them into boiling water. Take them out after 7-10 min when they are tender. I like to add them this way in small amounts to my cooked kale or collard greens. Like other greens, the sour leave shrink significantly as they cook but that's ok because you don't eat them on their own in large quantities.

Around the world in tropical areas sour leaves are  known to be key ingredients in special dishes.  People from Senegal cook them into a savory stew with fish, rice, tomato sauce, carrots, cabbage and cassava. It is called "Thieboudienne" and is the national dish in Senegal so you know it must be wonderful! I found a nice recipe by Saveur. Use the sour leaf instead of the flower.  Or try pairing the sour leaves with shrimp in a different popular dish from Burma called "Chin baung kyaw".  Chicagoreader.com published an article including a recipe for this exotic side dish which is made with garlic, onions, spicy peppers, turmeric, bamboo shoots and shrimp.

TRY OUR FAVORITE WAY TO EAT THE HIBISCUS LEAVES "Hibiscus Leaves Stuffed with Mushroom Risotto". The recipe (our unique creation) with photos is posted on the Tips and Recipes page.

I hope I have your mouth watering and your fingers ready to surf the internet for more sour greens uses. Let us know how you love to cook it best. We will be happy to provide greens at the farmers market in Artisan Alley Deland FL. You can find us there every Friday from 6-9pm rain or shine!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Good Bye Greens, Hello Tomatoes and Summer Squash!

Image
June has arrived in Central Florida. Time to fill your kitchens with young tender zucchinis and tomatoes before the humid summertime air sets in. One nice thing about farming here in the south is that we get to grow squash and tomatoes again in the fall! So, we get a second harvest before we get our fall greens going. The mornings are still nice enough to do clean up around the farm. There are drip tapes to pull out, vines to cut away from our deer fence, wild primrose to pull and use for compost building. We just finished planting out all our hibiscus sabdariffa plants. It feels great to have that done, all those holes dug and filled with sifted compost, and then setting in the plants with care so they transition with as little stress as possible. The last of the hibiscus plants actually get set in the old lettuce beds in between lettuces going to seed.
Read more

Organic Seed Starting Workshop

Image
SEED STARTING WORKSHOP    WHERE:    My Farm   299 Lemmon St   Pierson FL, 32180 WHEN:     Sept 8, 2012     9am-11am COST:     $15/adult PLUS $20 supply fee $8/child PLUS $20 supply fee Supply fee may be shared by 2 people Put on your gardening clothes & join me for a hands on organic seed starting workshop.  I will guide you as you learn by doing.  Using my tried & true farm made seed starting mix, you will seed a tray of veggies to take home for your fall garden along with plenty of extra seeds to make later plantings.  All materials will be provided.  Adults will seed broccoli, red scallions, & several kinds of lettuces.  Kids will seed fragrent lemon balm, & several super yummy asian greens.  Fun & informative, you will learn seed starting tricks & gardening tips appropriate f...
Read more

Greens & Beans ready soon

NOVEMBER IS NICE!!!   The weather is just so great for working outdoors!  And plants love it too!  Well some of the veggies, the cukes, zukes & winter squash are showing signs of stress from a few cold evenings in the upper 40's and  that's to be expected, but the little collard and Russian kale plants are starting to take off, the first lettuces are finally  looking happy & the  broccoli that struggled after being transplanted in the september heat is now knee high! As for my latest harvest news, I have begun bringing baby arugula to my retail customers (go get your bag!)  and it won't be long before the spring mix that everyone is craving is ready (expect it around Thanksgiving although there may be a few early bags out there as early as next week).  With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away I am checking my bean plants often.  We  should have be...
Read more