Salsify

So one of the vegetables that is listed in the 1000 Foods to Eat Before you Die is Salsify. I have seen it on menus but can’t recall if I had ever eaten it. I learned that in the US with a little luck I might be able to get black salsify but not white. Planning ahead, this spring I bought seeds for both. The white grew (but the black did not).  Last week I harvested my white salsify and bought the black variety at Specialty Produce and set out to cook it. 

What did I learn? The white variety is very hairy so peeling it is a pain.  It is, predictably, white on the inside. Once peeled, it can then be boiled or baked.  I oven roasted mine. Peeling it was a mess but it was still easier to deal with than the black variety.  The black variety has a very, very sticky sap in it which is hard to get off your hands.  Soap does not cut it. It is just time that will make the sap go away. Wear gloves. Disposable gloves. Black salsify is also white on the inside. It has to be boiled to remove the sap and then can be prepared as a person would want to-fried, mashed, etc. 

I do have to say-why bother with all of this? Is it interesting? Sure. Is it a pain to make?  Yep.  I made a pan fried salsify over arugula with a lemon-tahini dressing. Was it good? Sure. Would potatoes or carrots been the same, yep. 

Sorry, salsify.  You don’t make my top 1000 Foods at all…