Sea Blite (Suaeda maritima)

Family: Chenopodiaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Suaeda maritima is a ANNUAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft). It is in flower from July to October, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. Suitable pH: neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds, Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

pleasant salty flavour, they make a nice addition in small quantities to a salad. — Young leaves - raw or cooked.; A pleasant salty flavour, they make a nice addition in small quantities to a salad.; They are often mixed with other vegetables in order to reduce their saltiness.; The young shoots are pickled in vinegar and eaten on their own or used as a relish.

Habitat & North American Range

Salt marshes and sea shores, usually below the high water mark of spring tides. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)