Chervil a delicious chestnut flavored vegetable with a delicate texture of mash

Tuberous chervil or bulbous chervil!

The tuberous chervil, “cousin” of chervil, is a vegetable plant that you should be wary of before enjoying it. Indeed its leaves are very toxic ... It is its roots that are eaten.

 Chervil is a nutritious vegetable rich in vitamins. When it comes to cooking, we cook the roots like potatoes. But it's not steamed that root chervil will perform at its best. Prefer cooking with juice, in a meat broth.

It can also be done by double cooking, cooked in salted water and seared in butter… In 2 stages!

In the garden, the tuberous chervil forms long stems that can reach over a meter. The flowers are in white umbels. It is also called "bulbous chervil".


Botanical name:

• Chaerophyllum bulbosum


Type of plant

• Cycle: Biennial

• Family  : Apiacées - Umbellifères

• Rooting  : Tuber / Bulb

• Origin  : Europe, Asia


Particularities

•  Nutritive:  the tuberous chervil is a diuretic plant.

•  Vitamin:  Rich in vitamin A, B, C and mineral salts.

• Crop rotation:  apply a 3-year rotation before cultivating it in the same place in the vegetable garden.

• Toxic:  the leaves are poisonous, they must not be ingested.


What soil to cultivate tuberous chervil?

•  Type of soil:  light, humus, cool and airy.

•  Exposure:  sunny.

•  Watering:  in case of drought


Gardener's Info:

Lack of water can be the root cause of the attack of aphids on the roots. They are placed at the neck and damage the root.


When to sow tuberous chervil?

• Sow in November


How to sow tuberous chervil?

Prepare the ground:

• Work the soil to make it light.

• Clean it well and remove all the stones to allow the root to develop well.

• Bring potting soil and mix it with the soil in the garden.


Seedlings of tuberous chervil:

• Sow clear.

• Cover with a thin layer of potting soil.

• Tamp with the foot or seal with the back of a rake.

• Water well.

• The tuberous chervil is not complicated to cultivate but it imposes to intervene at the appearance of cotyledons , to thin out the rows.

• Thin out approximately every 10 centimeters.


Gardener's info:

We must clear up when the plant is young ... Later, it's too late.

Compost and in general fresh manures do not mix well with the cultivation of tuberous chervil.


Gardening the tuberous chervil with the moon

• Sow waning moon.


What maintenance for the culture of tuberous chervil:

•  Weeding  and  hoeing .

•  Watering  if necessary, keep the soil a little damp in case of drought.


Did you know, if the ground is covered with grass or other plants, or with mulch, looting and hoeing will have to be done less often!


When to harvest chervil:

• Harvesting of tuberous chervil is done approximately 8-9  months after sowing , ie approximately from late June to July.

• It's when the leaves turn yellow that it's time to harvest the chervil.

• Pull up roots or tubers and cut off poisonous leaves.

• Let them dry in place for 1 or 2 days.


How to store?

• Root chervil can be stored in the same way as potatoes, in a silo, under cover.

• Can also store them in the sand.


A word from the cook:

The tuberous chervil continues to “ripen” after harvest. It becomes more tasty. So wait a few months before consuming them… October is a good start! The tuberous chervil has a good chestnut taste its texture is a little floury.


Some varieties:

• A single variety of tuberous chervil.


Friendly culture 😉 in the vegetable garden:

• All the plants in the kitchen garden!


Diseases and Parasites:

• Damping-off: the seedlings disappear. Respect the crop rotation rhythms

• Rot: this problem can occur when the tubers have not been dried before being stored.

• Root aphid:  in case of attack, use a natural insecticide


Fertilization of tuberous chervil:

• Every 2 to 3 weeks carry out floliar fertilizations based on lithothamne powder.


Recipe side:

• Chervil is a vegetable with slightly sweet chestnut flavors. You can cook it in broth, in soup… Dare to cook it with a pot au feu!