Rocket
Eruca sativa
Description
Rocket is a hardy annual herb which, because of the pungent and pleasant taste of its leaves, is excellent added to salads or to cooked vegetables, which thus become tastier and also more digestible.
Leaves
The leaves of this herb are arranged alternately along the stem and have an oblong, lance-like shape; the upper ones are narrower than the lower ones. They have a characteristic smell and a decidedly sour taste which, milder in spring, then intensifies as the seasons advance. Sorrel leaves contain vitamins, in particular vitamin C, and mineral salts. The leaves of rocket, lanceolate in shape, are pale green and branch off from glabrous, much-branched stems; those at the base of the clump are deeply incised.
Flowers
The tiny flowers of this herb have four petals, usually white or straw-coloured, and rise on slender stems.
Cultivation
The vegetative cycle of this herb is very short: from the moment of sowing, which is done in spring directly in open ground, often only a few weeks pass before the life cycle is complete.
Exposure
Rocket grows well in full sun as well as in light shade, provided it is sheltered from the wind. In ideal climatic conditions the plants sometimes keep growing even in winter.
Properties
IN THE KITCHEN: Rocket is used raw, added to salads; lightly boiled, it is added to pasta, rice, hard-boiled eggs, to meat stuffings and to vegetable soups.
Health
This herb, rich in vitamin C, has valuable antiscorbutic properties; it also stimulates the appetite, aids digestion, is beneficial to the liver and combats intestinal gas. A handful of rocket leaves, a pinch of mint leaves and a few flowering tips of savory, infused in a cup of boiling water, make a tonic and soothing drink.
Curiosity
Diplotaxis, that is, perennial wild rocket, of which there are several varieties, is another crucifer that deserves to be grown in the herb bed. Its leaves, which give off a penetrating smell, have the same taste as those of rocket and are likewise used in many recipes. To keep a wild rocket plant compact, it is important to pinch it back regularly and above all to prevent it from flowering by cutting off the long flowering stems before they come into bloom.