Where can I get Sea Asparagus / Samphire ?

lucylu · 27-08-2010 2:10pm #1

Hello Boardies,
Does anyone know where I can get Sea Asparagus/Samphire in Leinster..?

I got it in the English Market in Cork a couple of weeks ago but I will not be in Cork again any time soon.

Thanks!

olaola · 27-08-2010 2:15pm

If you're in Dublin, I think they have it in Fallon & Byrne?

Qualitymark · 27-08-2010 2:41pm

The vegetable shop with a fish counter in Upper Rathmines Road - I think it might be called Lawlor's.

Dinkie · 27-08-2010 3:39pm

They have it in Meylers in Wexford town every Wednesday.

xxdilemmaxx · 27-08-2010 4:13pm

They have it in most of the fish shops along the pier in Howth...

lucylu · 30-08-2010 12:59pm

Thanks for your suggestions

duploelabs · 30-08-2010 3:54pm

caviston's nearly always have it, but only take the stuff that is good and firm, not saggy or black in parts

the beer revolu · 30-08-2010 4:52pm

Find a flat, sandy area that dries out at low tide for a few hours - you should find samphire there!!;)

Kimia · 30-08-2010 7:07pm

They have samphire in M&S at the mo

foodaholic · 31-08-2010 12:16pm

There is a fishmongers in naas that does it. I love it.

lucylu · 31-08-2010 2:22pm

foodaholic wrote: »

There is a fishmongers in naas that does it. I love it.

Foodaholic, can you tell me where the Fishmongers in Naas is?

Thanks,
Lucylu

foodaholic · 31-08-2010 5:59pm

Its just off friary road.

Excuse my crappy directions: Go down the main st heading for dublin and the turn rt after superquinn its on that street on the left. Really nice people, will order anything in for you

tricky D · 31-08-2010 6:07pm

xxdilemmaxx wrote: »

They have it in most of the fish shops along the pier in Howth...

@ €9.50 a kilo in the one I looked into today!!

Zuiderzee · 04-05-2011 4:16am

Fairly easy to grow, set up a section in the garden today to do it along with salsola and scurvey grass, its a perennial so once established hey presto.
I did it in the veg patch, but it should be relativly straight forward to replicate it in a window box.

Qualitymark · 04-05-2011 6:51am

Zuiderzee wrote: »

Fairly easy to grow, set up a section in the garden today to do it along with salsola and scurvey grass, its a perennial so once established hey presto.
I did it in the veg patch, but it should be relativly straight forward to replicate it in a window box.

WOW!! Where did you get the seeds?

Alun · 04-05-2011 9:12am

Zuiderzee wrote: »

Fairly easy to grow, set up a section in the garden today to do it along with salsola and scurvey grass, its a perennial so once established hey presto.
I did it in the veg patch, but it should be relativly straight forward to replicate it in a window box.

Would that be the same samphire (marsh samphire) as the one that's normally foraged and eaten though? It grows in the wild in very specific conditions, i.e. salt marshes and estuaries, I know I've picked it before in England where my sister lives in Norfolk. There may be other varieties of samphire out there but surely you wouldn't get that very special sea-salty taste that the marsh samphire has?

the beer revolu · 04-05-2011 9:19am

Zuiderzee wrote: »

Fairly easy to grow, set up a section in the garden today to do it along with salsola and scurvey grass, its a perennial so once established hey presto.
I did it in the veg patch, but it should be relativly straight forward to replicate it in a window box.

The word samphire refers to many different species but I reckon none of them can be easily cultivated.
I woner if you're talking about slasify, which we failed to grow in our garden!

Alun · 04-05-2011 10:34am

It can be cultivated with some difficulty, they do it in Zeeland in the Netherlands for example, and you can buy it in normal supermarkets there when in season. There's an article here (in Dutch, sorry!) explaining how they do it. He uses salt water to irrigate the fields, mirroring what happens in nature. I'm not sure though whether the salt water is essential to the growth of the plant itself, or whether it's just to replicate the same salty taste that wild samphire has. I'd imagine that a fairly marshy damp environment would be important whatever the case.

Zuiderzee · 04-05-2011 11:00am

Yup Alun, got a lot of marsh samphire in Zeeland, particularly good with Oysters. A lot of my cooking is Vlaamse/Zeus based.
Also, Salsola is irrigated with salt water on the med.

As the the beer revolu says, there are several species of samphire, mine is a rock samphire, found on rocky/sandy beaches.
Salsify, or Scorzanegra, is also being grown in the perennial bed I put together, but in a separate section, and irrigated with fresh water.

How I put together the box for the salt water plants can be viewed here
Its a 2ft x 4ft section within a raised bed.
Plants will be irrigated with water at a salinity/SG of 1.010, Salsola, Samphire and Scurvygrass, the later two being halophyte perennials, so hopefully will get a few years production out of them

Alun · 04-05-2011 11:04am

Looks good! Are you going to have a go at Lamsoren too? That's a Zeeuws speciality too isn't it?

Zuiderzee · 04-05-2011 4:25pm

Dont really know what I'd use sea lavender for - might try it if the Salsola fails to self seed

Alun · 04-05-2011 4:34pm

IIRC you use it in recipes more or less exactly the same way as samphire or maybe young spinach leaves.

Zuiderzee · 04-05-2011 4:41pm

I think I'd be better off sourcing a sea spinach for that, but we will see next year

Qualitymark · 04-05-2011 4:49pm

Zuiderzee wrote: »

I think I'd be better off sourcing a sea spinach for that, but we will see next year

By sea spinach you mean slabhcán/ sloke/ laver/ nori? Could you grow that if you had some sea? I can tell you where to find it, if that's what you mean.

the beer revolu · 04-05-2011 4:59pm

Qualitymark wrote: »

By sea spinach you mean slabhcán/ sloke/ laver/ nori? Could you grow that if you had some sea? I can tell you where to find it, if that's what you mean.

No, sea spinach is a spinach like plant that grows near the sea shore and on cliffs. Very nice it is too and very abundant.

Zuiderzee · 04-05-2011 5:32pm

Qualitymark wrote: »

By sea spinach you mean slabhcán/ sloke/ laver/ nori? Could you grow that if you had some sea? I can tell you where to find it, if that's what you mean.

No, those are actual seaweeds that I use for other dishes.
I'm on the shore and familiar from when I was a kid with what you can eat as well as what I picked up in later years at work so I collect a fair few seaweeds for various meals, there are I think two carageen recipes at the blog for example and I actually plan to do a miso for the blog later in the year when I get my walking onions established.

New Zealand spinach is a good example of a halophyte perennial sea spinach, as are some orache, but there is a local type as well - though not as productive as the NZ version, so that's the kicker.

Zuiderzee · 04-05-2011 5:39pm

Alun wrote: »

It can be cultivated with some difficulty, they do it in Zeeland in the Netherlands for example, and you can buy it in normal supermarkets there when in season. There's an article here (in Dutch, sorry!) explaining how they do it. He uses salt water to irrigate the fields, mirroring what happens in nature. I'm not sure though whether the salt water is essential to the growth of the plant itself, or whether it's just to replicate the same salty taste that wild samphire has. I'd imagine that a fairly marshy damp environment would be important whatever the case.

heel interesseert!

Qualitymark · 04-05-2011 6:56pm

Ah, I see it here http://wildfoodmushroomsfishing.blogspot.com/2010/04/sea-beet-or-wild-spinach.html and here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragonia_tetragonioides with the botanical name. Interesting.

Best spinach I've tasted is the oriental kind, with the arrow-shaped leaves - a strong spinachy flavour but none of that nasty chalky thing.

These guys http://www.horizonherbs.com/product.asp?specific=2301 offer seeds for sea spinach.

Where can I get Sea Asparagus / Samphire ?

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