Salsify Sandwich Island

Salsify Sandwich Island may be a chic new vegetable with the foodie crowd but it happens to be an old-fashioned heritage root crop.

This unprepossessing Mediterranean winter vegetable has a delicate taste, ever so slightly sweet, some say slightly reminiscent of oysters – so much so that “oyster plant” is one of its common names.

Although primarily a root crop, the young sprouted seeds, purple flower buds, and flowering shoots can also be eaten.

The leaves look like a clump of grass and the root is about the size of a large carrot, bumpy like a parsnip with beige skin.

Salsify’s grass-like tops are slightly sweet and tender enough to be eaten in salads, the roots of the plant are dug up and cooked as you would parsnips.

Salsify can be served simply as a side dish or can be cooked as fritters, sautéed in hot butter until golden or served roasted.

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