[Kristen]

I lifted a few Salsify a couple of weeks back.  Half of them were rotten - the root missing from the bottom where it had rotted through, and quite a lot of what I harvested felt like "pulp" in my fingers.

I've since harvested all the remainder and put them in pots of sand in the (cold) conservatory to try to preserve them. About 1/3rd were thrown away as being rotten.

Any ideas why?

My soil is heavy clay, but the beds are raised ("lazy beds") and have a decent tilth for 12" to 18"

On a sample size of only one meal they tasted just like Parsnips (no better, no magic "Much better than 'Snips") and nothing like as fat of course, so I'm not sold on the idea, so far.

[JayG]

Grew them once!!!

They didn't rot but were fiddly to prepare and as for the tag "vegetable oyster"?.

Definitely not as far as my taste-buds were concerned!

[Kristen]

Well that's been my experience so far ... I wonder why they are in all the Vegetable Seed Racks, rather than consigned to Speciality Providers?

[John]

I've grown salsify ever since being served it in a French routier (transport caf) - cooked properly it is a lovely taste. However, it's a lot more fiddle to prepare than parsnips. It doesn't store well at all, unlike parsnips.

Not had the rotting problem, but we've had an incredibly wet November which won't have helped

[gillie]

We like salsify too!  I par boil it in its skin, scrape it and then finish it by frying in butter.

I have not tried this year's crop yet.  I do find it difficult to grow as the roots fork much more readily than carrots.  I have tried growing it in pea tubes, or making  holes with a spike, filling them with compost and station sowing the seeds, but nothing so far has really worked.

I will keep trying.

I grew scorzonera once.  It worked well, but I could not get the tip of the roots out and being from the dandelion family it regrew and became a nuisance.

Cheers,

Gillie

[Kristen]

I've grown Scorzonera for the first time this year too. Not harvested any as yet, and recently read it can be left for a second year whence it will be fatter - which will muck up my crop rotation ...  decisions ... decisions ...