Chamchwi (Korean aster) experiences

My order from the Agroforestry Research Trust has come. It's always an exciting time, since I order in the summer, but the plants don't get sent out until the end of Autumn. I do wish they would come in spring, as I have to get them through the next few months safely, but that is a separate issue. Anyway, I forget in between ordering and receiving the plants what I ordered.
This year I apparently ordered Doellingeria scabra (Aster scaber) known as chwinamul or chamchwi in it's native land of Korea. It is apparently a popular vegetable there, and the leaves can be eaten raw or cooked.


source


From Incredible Vegetables

Typically, the leaves should be harvested in spring when young and larger leaves later in the season can be dried for later use. Simply re-hydrate the greens and sauté with a little oil and season with soy sauce or maybe a little red pepper. The fresh greens may be used raw or cooked. ....... A popular way to consume the leaves raw is as little wraps stuffed with rice, meat and pickled veggies with spicy sauces

They also have sprays of daisy like flowers late in the summer:

aster scabra flowers

images from Steven Barstow's Edimentals 'blog

Stephen writes quite a bit about it in his book Around the World in 80 plants and here on his blog.

Incredible Vegetables say it likes a sunny position, but Stephen says it grows in shade. I suspect this may be temperature dependent, since Stephen's information came from a Korean, and Korea is generally a bit warmer than the UK. I think I'll try and find a sunny spot - maybe in the front garden, or where my old polytunnel is perhaps and see how it does. It is supposed to grow easily from seed and also can be divided when established.

Does anyone grow this currently? Or have any more information to share?

Shade. And slugs love it!

Hi Robin - are you growing it? Thanks for 'bumping' this thread though - I'll have to see if I can find where I planted mine, and if it survived!
I read somewhere that the whole of Scotland is effectively like being in the shade! Sometimes its a matter of how moist the soil needs to be as much as anything, very much location dependent.

This reminds me of the native to here plants, the wood asters (Eurybia). They grow in moist, rich forest soils and this year I’ve eaten them raw and enjoyed them. They look so similar so I wonder if they are in taste or habitat? I would say they’re fresh tasting, a little like the leaves of yellow chamomile or jostaberry. Could I say they taste like wind and fog? They must be one of the most abundant plants in some of the mature mountain forests.