My Ukrainian wife loves to cook with an herb called Sorrel. In the grocery stores in Iowa, it was pretty easy to find. Coming out to California, it has been close to impossible, even in the upscale "nutrition centers". Then this weekend, we had a stroke of luck.
We went to Lowes to get a stake for our tomato plant and while we were wandering the garden center, we happened to see a bunch of different herbs. Just on a lark, I walked around all the herbs and looked at them. Sure enough, we found "French Sorrel" sitting there. It's the same stuff Marina cooked with in Ukraine.
So, we ended up buying half a dozen plants, potting soil, and a yard long window box to put them in. Now, in a couple of months, Marina will be able to harvest her sorrel at will.
What's ironic, is that we would spend $20-$25 each time buying enough sorrel to make a good batch of sorrel borsht. Our trip to Lowes only cost us a total of $25. Of course, the weather is a little warmer here, so we should be able to raise our crop all year around...
