Old wisdom says to cut an ancient salt marsh plant fresh on the longest day of the year, the summer solstice. For the best harvest, seek plants that grow where two tides wash over them daily.
I always feel excited when the solstice is near, in anticipation of my annual ritual of gathering this plant.
Pick it too early and it’s not worth the back-breaking work. Pick it too late and it becomes woody and inedible.
The stems are juicy and resemble tiny jade cacti. They taste of sea salt, minerals, and a hint of something green beneath.
Back home, I wash them in several changes of water, then blanch them for a short time. I serve them with butter.
You likely recognise this plant as marsh samphire. You’ll often find it in the fish section of supermarkets or at fishmongers.
Wildflower books usually list it as glasswort rather than samphire. Salicornia spp.
When I go foraging for it, I am the only person harvesting it. Most people walk right past, oblivious to this gourmet green. They see it as flat and featureless – green and mud covered.
But if you’ve ever wandered into a salt marsh at low tide on a June morning with a bucket, you know it’s anything but dull.