September II

Crambe maritima, or sea cabbage as it was called when I was young, or sea kale as it is called by top chefs who have recently rediscovered it. My understanding was that it fell out of favour because it needed a lot of cooking to make it edible, and a lot of chewing to get it down, but if you were poor and it was growing free on the beach you persevered.

But according to The Independent the Victorians loved it, harvested it to near extinction hence it had to be protected during the 20th century. There are commercial growers cultivating it now, chefs and foodies hunting for recipies and some places where foraging is permitted in small quantities.

This clump is in an area of Special Scientific Interest (vegetated shingle) at Landguard Point in Suffolk, and thus protected. Not that I fancied a side portion.