It looks like stinkweed, lettuce, or a pale-green spinach. It goes to seed in about a month. Sometimes bugs eat it, and you’ve seen the little old European lady next door look at it longingly. What did you inherit in your yard?

It’s possible that the leafy green in question here is sorrel, and your neighbor wants it because of its bright, slightly sour, almost citrusy flavor, which can be used in wonderful soups, sauces, and sometimes as a substitute for (or an accompaniment with) fresh lettuce or spinach in salads, on sandwiches, in nachos, etc. Many European cultures have sorrel recipes. The best sorrel recipe we know is the sorrel soup (shchav) recipe found on this very Website, but there are many more online, particularly at www.recipezaar.com.

You can plant it in early spring; young plants are available at several farmers’ markets, especially those in and around our European communities (think Eastern Market in Detroit). The plant itself requires little care and a moderate amount of sunshine.

When harvesting sorrel, there are a few things to keep in mind. First of all, the younger the leaf, the less sour (acidic) its taste will be. That’s because as it ages, it increases its quantity of oxalic acid. According to WiseGeek.com, oxalic acid may aggravate rheumatism and kidney or bladder stones. Also, “learn to love it in small doses in the beginning. It has natural laxative properties” (though I have never experienced this side effect -- maybe because I’ve been eating it since childhood).

When you harvest it, simply cut off the leaves. Don’t pull the plant out by the roots. If you leave the roots intact, the plant will keep coming back for many years. Rinse off the dirt, let it dry or use a spinner, remove the heavy part of the stem, and process the leaf as needed.

Didja know … there is a reddish variety of sorrel grown in the Caribbean, which is used in a variety of beverages. It’s only loosely related to the green sorrel grown around here. Green sorrel should not be used in these beverage recipes; it doesn’t translate well.

What’s eating your sorrel? Those little nibble marks are probably from rabbits or moth larvae. Or your neighbor.

If it’s not already growing in your yard, this is a lovely plant to add. Like the best plants, it’s edible.