- Sugar root: origin and properties
- Sweet root cultivation: sowing, location & time
- The most important care measures
- Propagating Sugar Roots
- Harvesting and Using Sugar Roots
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The sweet sugar root is one of the rediscovered vegetables. We introduce the sweetroot and give tips on cultivation and use.
The sugar root is a little-known vegetable in the meantime, but is being increasingly discovered and cultivated again. In this profile you will learn everything about sugar root, its claims and use.
Sugar root: origin and properties
The sugar root (Sium sisarum) belongs to the umbelliferae family (Apiaceae) and is closely related to carrot (Daucus carota), parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum). It should not be confused with licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). The sweet root originally comes from Central Asia and the Caucasus region. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the candy root, known as Gierlen, Görlin, Wassermerk or Ringing Carrot, was very popular in Europe. From the 18th century, the sweetroot came through the triumph of the higher-yielding potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) and sugar beets (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris convar. vulgaris var. altissima) increasingly forgotten for sugar production.
The sugar root is an extremely cold-resistant, perennial plant that flowers from the second year. The sweet-tasting candy arums form underground as thick storage roots. They show slight constrictions where they break quickly. The grayish-white roots often have woody veins in the middle. In the first year, one main root forms, in the following years 10 - 15 additional finger-thick storage roots, which can grow up to 30 cm long. Above ground, the sugar root shows long, imparipinnate leaves with up to 11 serrated leaflets. Together with the long flower stalks, the plant reaches a height of up to 150 cm. The small, star-shaped white flowers, arranged in fragrant umbels, bloom from the second year between July and August. After pollination, elongated brown seeds called achenes form. The plant dies above ground in late autumn and sprout again the following spring.
Sweet root cultivation: sowing, location & time
Sweet roots prefer fresh to moist, nutrient-rich and deep soil. However, the sweet root vegetable does not tolerate waterlogging. In full sun, with sufficient soil moisture, it feels comfortable for many years. Sowing sugar roots outdoors is done in March or August. The seeds are sown about 0.5 - 1 cm deep with a row spacing of 30 cm and kept well moist until germination. The optimal temperature is 20 - 22 °C. Sugarroot seeds are very slow to germinate and it can take up to 35 days for seedlings to emerge. The germination rate is also not very high, so it is first sown close together. Outdoors, the seedlings are isolated after a few weeks to 30 x 30 cm.
Alternatively, sow the seeds in seed trays on the windowsill between November and January and transplant the seedlings the following spring. A low-nutrient potting soil, such as our Plantura organic herb and seed soil, is ideal for growing the sugar root. If the young plant has 4 - 5 real leaves after a few weeks, it can be planted out if the weather is suitable.
The most important care measures
The sugar root has a high water requirement and should never stand on dry soil. It should therefore be watered regularly on hot summer days. A mulch layer of plant materials, such as lawn clippings or leaves, can also reduce evaporation and provide food for soil organisms. Since the decomposition binds nitrogen at the same time, attention should be paid to compensatory fertilization. Spring is also the right time to fertilize the weakly consuming sweet roots. Long-standing sugar root stocks need some nutrient replenishment from the second year for he althy leaf and root growth. A dose of mature compost or a primarily organic long-term fertilizer, such as our Plantura organic tomato fertilizer, is suitable for this. This provides the sweet root vegetables with essential nutrients in the long term and is gentle on the plant and the environment.
Diseases rarely occur on sweet roots. Occasionally, Alternaria and Septoria fungi attack the leaves, causing dark spots. Rust fungus infestation can also occur: In this case, the entire infested plant should be removed. The biggest pests on the sweet rootshowever, they are mice who love the taste and can quickly eat up the whole rootstock. A deep vole protection protects the harvest from the voracious rodents.
Propagating Sugar Roots
Sugar roots can be propagated by seeds or vegetatively by roots. After successful pollination, the seeds ripen from August to September and fall off the umbel when it is dry. Therefore, in order to obtain seeds, cut off entire, still dewy umbels including the seeds early in the morning and allow them to dry gently indoors. After a few weeks, you can store the sugarroot seeds in a cool, dark place until sowing. However, sugarroots often form only a few germinable seeds and these have only a low germination capacity. An easier alternative to propagation is cutting root shoots. For this purpose, a whole rootstock is dug up in the spring and the thick storage roots are first unraveled. With a sharp knife you can now cut off greening buds with a good piece of root each and place them in pots with high-quality potting soil for rooting. After a few weeks the young plants can be put out.
Harvesting and Using Sugar Roots
The sugar root is completely hardy and can remain in the ground throughout the winter. It can be harvested as needed from November and throughout the winter if the soil is frost-free. Using a digging fork, lift whole plants out of the ground and break off the desired amount of roots at their constriction. The sugarroot plant is then buried again and watered a little to flush soil to the roots. The annual roots are particularly tender and aromatic.
Wrapped in moist sand, sweet roots can be stored well at low temperatures for several weeks. Sugar roots are he althy and easily digestible. They contain 4 - 8% sugar, taste pleasantly sweet and have a slightly floury consistency when cooked. They can be eaten raw or cooked and fried. Sugar roots can be prepared as a puree or grated in a salad. They can be boiled down into a sweetening syrup or, after cooking, fried in pancake batter for a small delicacy. The young leaves of the sugar root can be used as an aromatic herb similar to parsley.
Oat root (Tragopogon porrifolius) is also one of the rediscovered old vegetables.Find out more about this tasty root vegetable, also known as purple goat's beard, in our profile.