Patience dock

Rumex patientia

leaf

Large mild leaves, barely tangy, cooked like spinach in the soups and stuffings of Bulgaria (lapad) and the Balkans.

Origin

Eastern Europe, the Balkans and western Asia

Where to find it

In Bulgaria and Serbia, it is grown in vegetable gardens and its bunches are sold at spring markets; in France, it has escaped along roads and railroad tracks in the east.

Season (United States)

March to June

Preparation

The large leaves are washed, the tough rib removed, then they are cooked for a few minutes like spinach, in soups or stuffings; they are eaten cooked rather than raw. Its oxalates leach into water: boiling it and throwing the water out takes a good share with it.

Molecules

Beta-carotene (vitamin A) · Lutein and zeaxanthin · Vegetable nitrates · ChlorophyllWhat slows things down Oxalates

Did you know?

It was called spinach-sorrel: it has the mildness of one and a hint of the other's acidity.