Bladder campion in the orchard

An easy support plant for your orchard could be bladder campion. What a yummy, easy to grow plant with wonderful flowers for insects too.

Silene vulgaris also known as Carletti, or Sculpit or Baldder Campion is a wild edible found in meadows apparently well loved and cultivated in Italy as a cooked green often used in risottos or omlette (See Stephen Barstow, Around the World in 80 Days).

Bladder campion would be happy in a position at the edge of an orchard in full sun and shoots can be harvested from Spring onwards and now too, Autumn, they are putting on a new flush of fresh leaves actually. Use just as salad leaves or I’ve also added chopped Carletti shoots into my regular Jamie Oliver style flatbreads (half dairy free yoghurt/half plain flour of your choice and baking powder). Yum! I’m sure you’d be able to tell me some more adventurous uses for it as I’m an extremely basic and lazy cook.

If you’re local and you’d like some seed to give it a try now or in Spring just let me know.

More info:
https://www.tyrantfarms.com/stridolo-silene-vulgaris-how-to-grow-and-eat-with-recipes/?fbclid=IwAR1bSXKHNtDJ6dakc8MGV5Ku6DplR_cP9Ae-gU46Rx9F6WB4rAqGMUhcMEI