Quick Information Native Zone - Europe, parts of Asia, and parts of Africa.
Perennial in USDA zones - 3 through 8
Annual in other zones.
Sunlight - Full sun to partial shade
Soil- Prefers average to moist soils.
Edibility Rumex sanguineus is reported to have a tart lemony taste, but be wary of consuming a large amount because it does contain some level of oxalic acid. This can cause some folks digestive upset. Young leaves can be used in salads and are most desirable. Some folks have used the older leaves, but I personally avoid them.
I planted a packet of bloody dock seeds in a new patch of sunchokes I was establishing last year, but nothing came up. Curly dock is a local weed so I had high hopes for this prettier version.
I gather that the red veined sorrel can be a bit of a nuisance weed here. I'm not sure if it propagates by seed, or just keeps coming back after you think it is weeded out. Seems like a nice weed to me and so pretty! I do have some seed, but am going to be a bit more careful where I sow it!
My plants have bolted and are going through the whole flower/seed process. I have noticed that flies seem attracted to these flowers. Perhaps flies help pollinate dock?
An observation, chickens find the plant palatable.
I'm unsure of offering a large amount of it to chickens due to the presence of oxalic acid but I trust them to figure out the right balance themselves.
I grew some from seed once, but found I disliked the sourness of it. It's not an appealing sour like citrus to me. I guess it's because of the oxalic acid? Anyway I destroyed the plants and the remaining seeds since I didn't want to introduce a new weed.
One thing to be aware of with Rumex plants is they can have high amounts of oxalic acid, and some people have bad reactions to that.
A woman from an Eastern Bloc country used to come to my farm stand and was so happy to get sorrel, it reminded her of home, so it's a cultural food.
It's nice used in small amounts in a salad mix, the lemony flavor is not overwhelming.
I have the dock weeds here, and they stop the gophers and voles. I've been gathering their seed heads at the end of the summer and put them around the circumference of the garden to try to stop them from getting past the fence. I also let them grow up around plants the gophers go after as a protection plant. They don't seem to compete with plants and the gophers go around.
I had a nice patch of regular sorrel that got crowded out by rubrus odoratus (thimbleberry) and last year I bought a couple dozen seed packets, including sorrel, from Ukraine ( I also will make sure it doesn't take over.)
It's not red veined, but since I haven't grown this one before and its latin name isn't listed, I will be more careful!
I noticed with my old sorrel it would move around a bit in a general vicinity of a few square feet.
A neighbor offered me store bagged washed salad a couple of days ago. I had to decline explaining that I just don't eat the stuff anymore because even the weeds taste better. I love sorrel in sandwiches. Yes it is high in oxalic acid which is probably the tangy slightly citrus taste, and I can understand why the lady from the eastern block loves it!
I find it to be a low to no maintenance plant, but clearly no maintenance over two years was more than my old French sorrel was able to take.
Many people don't realise Oxalate is an organic acid that’s naturally found in a wide variety of plant foods such as leafy green vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and certain grains.
If you are sensitive to it, steam in a little water and pour off the water. the heat destroys oxalic acid and you are fine to then eat your greens/sorrel.
The trick is to just bring to to the boil, then pour off the water and immediately plunge straight into cold water. Do not keep boiling or many vitamins will be destroyed
Heat breaks down the oxalic acid which will allow your body to absorb higher amounts of vitamins, calcium, iron and fibre.
I love the flavour of sorrel and have been eating it fresh or steamed since childhood with no ill effects.
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