Sea beet photo c/o Emma Cooper

Last week we collected a good carrier bag full of the sea beet (Beta vulgaris) which grows prolifically on the sea walls and footpaths by the Thames estuary where I live. It also grows as a ‘volunteer’ on my allotment where I’ve used seaweed collected from the Thames as a mulch material, although I’ve not had so much success establishing it when I’ve tried deliberately planting seeds that I’ve collected. It’s the ancestor of cultivated beets such as beetroot and chard, and has a strong, quite salty flavour that really does go particularly well with the tomatoes. The best times for harvesting sea beet are the spring and early autumn, when it has a second flush of fresh leaves.

Sea Beet and Tomato Soup

(If you can’t obtain sea beet around your way try substituting Swiss chard, although the flavour isn’t quite the same or as strong)

1 onion

1-2 garlic cloves

A good couple of handfuls of fresh sea beet leaves

10 or so large, very ripe, almost squashy tomatoes

1 handful of fresh lovage

A little corn flour

Splash of red wine

Fairly traded olive oil

Chop onion finely, and gently sauté in olive oil in a large pan. Meanwhile liquidise the tomatoes, sea beet and lovage and add to the pan. Simmer for 20 minutes or so, adding a little water if necessary. Mix a spoonful of corn flour to a smooth paste in a cup and stir in if you feel that the soup needs a little thickening. There’s no need to add any stock to this soup as the lovage has a strong, savoury flavour. You might want to add a splash of red wine shortly before removing from the heat, but it’s not compulsory. Homemade elderberry is good. Serve with a good hunk of garlic bread.

Lots more seasonal recipes from wild foods can be found in The Vegan Book of Permaculture by Graham Burnett – order your SIGNED copy today and get a bonus free copy of ‘The Ecology of the Self – Zone Zero Zero Permaculture Design Notes’, or buy it together with ‘Permaculture A Beginner’s Guide’ plus extra booklets for the special price of just £21!