Sorrel/щавель

Submitted by AdAlternative5545 t3_zyom45 in rva

Can anyone tell me where I could buy fresh sorrel in the area? I’m trying to find it for NYE but haven’t had any luck at the grocery stores that have bigger produce selections.

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DefaultSubsAreTerrib t1_j28dgvq wrote

There are several unrelated plants called sorrel that share only a sour flavor. I'm not sure which you seek.

There's a hibiscus-family sorrel that is often made into a sweetened beverage in Caribbean cuisine (in Spanish it's called jamaica). For this you would probably want to look for a tea shop or a spice shop.

There is also a leafy green named sorrel that one can put in salads or smoothies. For this you might check the produce section at whole foods.

There is a species of oxalis named 'wood sorrel' that grows wild here and can be found in nearly every lawn.

There are probably other sorrels too.

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carmen_cygni t1_j29wvya wrote

> 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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Huckles123 t1_j275z18 wrote

There’s a lady at the Bryan Park Farmer’s Market that has sorrel juice, if that helps.

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CoffeexCup t1_j28l7bt wrote

New Grand is probably worth checking out. They’re an international market with a big produce section.

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pittiepartie t1_j28nnm4 wrote

Europa food market or European deli may have it! if not fresh then they may have it in a jar/can

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sikkimensis t1_j275i57 wrote

You can usually special order stuff like this from a local market like Ellwoods or Good Foods. I remember it being on the order guides back when I did produce stuff a few years back, 3 small packages for like $12ish?. I've also seen it once or twice at wegmans but never consistently so that might be worth a shot too.

It was always the red veined variety if that matters. Good luck!

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sweetsatanskiing t1_j28r4ey wrote

Tan A on Broad? They seem to have an interesting selection. Be warned, the owner is a hateful shrew. Cash only.

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RVAblues t1_j2bdwtn wrote

There are several Caribbean markets in the area. I’ve bought sorrel tea before from one of them.

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