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carmen_cygni t1_j29wvya wrote

Reply to comment by DefaultSubsAreTerrib in Sorrel/щавель by AdAlternative5545

> There's a hibiscus-family sorrel that is often made into a sweetened beverage in Caribbean cuisine (in Spanish it's called jamaica).

Hibiscus sabdariffa var. sabdariffa! I grew it when I lived in Richmond. The leaves are for eating/cooking, and the calyces are for tea, syrups, jelly etc.

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DefaultSubsAreTerrib t1_j2ayrwq wrote

Those are gorgeous!

My wife use to grow the leafy-green kind of sorrel. We thought it was a fun oddity but not so great to keep growing it.

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carmen_cygni t1_j2b7hbr wrote

We weren't sure how the hibiscus would do in RVA, so the first year we planted 24 seeds in 2 long rows of 12, and they all got huge! It became the joke of the summer. We had so many of those friggin' calyces, and they are at PITA to get the core out of (and fuzzy, sharp coating on them). Then you have to dry them if you want to save them. We ended up buying a shitload of Belle Isle Moonshine and infusing the bottles, so everyone in our lives got these for Christmas that year.

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