Rumex acetosella is a perennial weed in the buckwheat family known by the common names of sheep sorrel, field sorrel, red sorrel, and sour weed. It is easily found in disturbed soils along roadsides and neglected fields across North America.
While sheep's sorrel is often considered an invasive plant, many don't realize the usefulness of this wild edible seemingly taking over the landscape. A prized ingredient in Essiac tea, it is well known in the alternative health community as a natural remedy for many ailments.
Sheep Sorrel Identification
Most commonly considered a noxious weed, sheep sorrel is one of the most widely available edible plants to forage for in the United States and is incredibly easy to identify, even for beginners.
Leaves and stems
Common sheep sorrel grows in patches via a creeping root system in clumps of rosette basal leaves comprised of arrowhead-shaped leaves that reach ¾ to 2 ½ inches long and up to ¾ inches wide.
The leaves of sheep sorrel are hairless and the edges are toothless. The outer leaves are long and have a pair of slender lobes near the base of the blade, but can sometimes grow without lobes. The middle leaves are short-stalked and have an outside lobe on each side. The upper leaves are stalkless.
At the base of the stalk, there is a brown and white papery sheath called an ocrea that surrounds the stem.
Flowers
The growing season is typically May to October, each rosette forms a reddish upright flower stem that can grow anywhere from 4 to 10 inches in height, rarely reaching above one foot.
The flower stalks are slender and smooth and the flowers grow in clusters of 5 to 8 flowers. The plant is unisexual, so each plant contains only male or female flowers, never both.
Female flowers are typically green while male flowers are generally yellow to red. The stamens close after pollination occurs.
Habitat of Common Sheep Sorrel
Native to Eurasia, red sorrel is now widely available from coast to coast throughout all North America. The plant is believed to have been brought here by early settlers as it was prized as a highly beneficial herb.
Sheep sorrel likes acidic, sandy soil so if you find a patch of wild blueberries, or have soil suited for such, you're likely to find some.
It likes the sun, though it can be found in shady spots. Typically, it is found in sparsely vegetated areas with gravelly soil. Making places such as old fields, steep slopes, beaches, gravel beds, and banks are the most common areas this plant can be found.
What does sheep's sorrel taste like?
While the whole plant is edible, the flowers tend to be rather bitter and the stalks can be too stringy. While cultivated sorrel can become large and have ribs that can be quite cumbersome, most wild sorrel never becomes large enough to have ribs, so you will not need to worry about removing them.
The leaves and roots have a flavor similar to that of rhubarb with a tart, sour taste due to the oxalic acid it contains. This makes it an excellent addition to fresh salads and even stir fry.
Using sheep sorrel as an edible
It should be mentioned that since the tart flavor is due to the high levels of oxalic acid in the plant, it should be eaten in small quantities or avoided for people who are prone to kidney stones.
Sheep sorrel can be eaten raw or cooked and in any recipe that calls for cultivated French sorrel.
Like most greens, if you plan to cook it, be prepared to gather large quantities as it shrinks a great deal once cooked.
Due to its tart flavor, it is fantastic in fresh salads and can even replace some, or all, of the vinegar you toss in.
Its tart flavor can be a bit surprising, but it pairs very well with seafood. It can be used in dishes like salmon in sorrel sauce (and note that the sauce can be made up and frozen for later use in multiple dishes).
Another great way to use it is to add it to rice to brighten up the dull flavor or add it to a stir fry.
Sorrel tea is a lemonade-tasting beverage that is made by simply steeping the leaves in water. You can also dry the plant, much like drying basil leaves and using the dried leaves to make teas or toss them into rice, used to make sorrel soup, or other dishes when it's no longer in season.
Medicinal uses of sheep sorrel
Both culinary and medicinal uses of common sorrel are numerous. Aside from Essiac tea whose effectiveness is unknown due to a lack of trials, the leaves can be used to treat bee stings, ant bites, and even stinging nettle injuries due to an alkali that neutralizes the sting.
Ancient Romans used Rumex as lollipops and it is claimed to have anti-inflammatory effects. Again, there's no proof of these properties.
Harvesting Sheep Sorrel
Foraging for field sorrel was incredibly popular during the Great Depression, but the popularity has waned over the years. However, it is definitely a good idea to know what it is and the best time to harvest it.
While it can be harvested any time it's growing, the best time to harvest is in the spring while the leaves are still small, young, and tender and the flowers have not yet bloomed.
Due to its thin, reaching profile the root of sheep sorrel can be almost impossible to harvest but can be harvested in the autumn with some care.
In the fall, carefully dig the roots, dry them, and pound them into a powder that can be used as a flour substitute to make noodles, as a natural soup thickener, or just tossed into a dish to add a bit of flavor as some of those tart flavors will remain after drying.
The tiny seeds can also be removed from the flowers and eaten. However, they are quite small, though quite easy to cultivate into new plants.
While it's considered a noxious weed to many, if not most, sheep sorrel is an incredibly useful wild edible that should be more known for its culinary and medicinal uses instead of being considered a weed.
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