Burdock Takinogawa

Burdock Takinogawa is a popular root vegetable in Japan. It is essential to many classic Japanese dishes including kimpira, made with sautéed burdock and carrots. Burdock has deep long roots that are white on the inside and dark brown on the outside reaching up to a metre long.

The Burdock plant is a biennial, producing a rosette of leaves in the first year, then completing its life cycle by flowering and seeding in the second year. The mature plant can reach 1m in height. It is easily grown from seed it prefers a deep and sandy garden soil in partial shade to full sun.

Burdock is the hardiest root vegetable and winters in the garden easily for spring digging. Work the soil deeply for best crop like you would with carrots. Seeds can be sprouted like bean sprouts; nothing goes to waste with this plant. Its roots are used, fresh, pickled and cooked. Young leaves can be used like spinach and both roots and leaves are excellent in stir fry’s. There are also many medicinal properties.

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