The phrase that sings through my mind when I walk through my brother Henry’s vegetable fi eld each spring is from e. e. cummings’ ode to spring that begins, “O sweet spontaneous earth…” Th e earth of Henry’s field is indeed bursting with spontaneous life. The autumn-planted garlic pokes its way through the blanket of straw mulch, and the rest of the field is a patchwork quilt of cover crops, bright green with new growth. But the most life-filled green of all springs from the sorrel patch. Delicate as these first fragile leaves seem, sorrel is a hardy perennial, ready to add a lemony lift to a salad, or to make the first green soup of the season.
Sorrel has been a staple of spring for centuries, a vitamin-C filled tonic.

But you won’t find it in the grocery store since it is too delicate for machine harvesting, industrial handling and weeks on the produce shelf.

In fact, I didn’t have a clue what sorrel was until Henry started growing it on our family farm in central Illinois. Even then, I had to do my research, and discovered that the French may well be the experts on sorrel. Crack open any French cookbook and you will find at least a dozen recipes featuring sorrel. Th e cook is often told to faire fondre (melt) or faire amollir (soften) the sorrel in a pan. “Melting” is the perfect description of what happens to the seemingly substantial sorrel. As soon as it hits the heat, it melts into a silky olive-green sauce.

If the sorrel leaves are large, you may want to de-rib them before cooking to eliminate any stringiness. Th e easiest way to do this is to hold a leaf folded lengthwise in one hand, and pull off the stem and center rib with the other hand.

Basic French Sorrel Sauce
You can use the sauce as-is, as a side vegetable, as a base for soups, over fish or chicken, or folded into omelets.

1 bunch sorrel (eight to 10 ounces)
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon crème fraiche or heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Wash sorrel, and de-rib if necessary. Put butter in a large saucepan over low heat. After it has melted, add the sorrel leaves. Stir from time to time as the sorrel begins to wilt.

2. When it has given up most of its liquid, stir in the crème fraiche and continue cooking until all the leaves have wilted and turned from bright to dark olive green.

3. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately, or save to use as the base for a future soup. And speaking of future soup, sorrel is easy to freeze in a small jar or yogurt container.

Sorrel Soup
This is the classic French way to prepare sorrel. The more cream and potato you add, the milder the sorrel taste will be.

1 bunch (eight to 10 ounces) sorrel
4-6 cups water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound potatoes, cubed
2 large eggs
1/2 cup crème fraiche or heavy cream

1. Wash the sorrel and de-rib the leaves if necessary. Put it in a saucepan over low heat.

Cook, stirring, until the sorrel has melted into a purée and nearly all of its liquid has evaporated.

2. Add the water and salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook over low heat until the potatoes are cooked through (about 15 minutes). If you prefer a creamy rather than a chunky soup, put the soup into a blender or food processor and then return to the saucepan.

3. Combine the eggs and crème fraiche in a warmed serving bowl. Mix until well blended.

Add a ladle of the potato and sorrel mixture and blend well. Pour in remaining potato and sorrel mixture and serve immediately. Makes six to eight servings.