Smyrnium olusatrum

Alexanders, in Latin Smyrnium olusatrum, is a robust biennial plant that was once widely cultivated in the garden, a forgotten vegetable that the ancients knew as pot marjoram, great celery, horse parsley, or Macedonian parsley. This vegetable, abandoned in favour of celery, has a more complex and spicy flavour than its cousin, which becomes pleasantly aromatic and sweet after cooking. In the garden, it is also rather ornamental, offering beautiful, finely cut foliage that remains evergreen in winter and a long spring-to-summer flowering period with umbels of yellow-green flowers that are highly visited by pollinating insects. Alexanders are quickly grown in the vegetable or ornamental garden, in full sun or partial shade, and in well-drained, slightly alkaline soil that is not too dry. A plant worth rediscovering!

The Smyrnium olusatrum belongs to the Apiaceae family, like parsley, carrot, and celery. It is native to Mediterranean regions but has naturalized throughout France, where it has escaped from vegetable gardens. It is a very hardy plant with a biennial growth cycle: in the first year, it germinates and develops its large root and foliage, which remains evergreen in winter. It flowers in the second year, produces seeds, and then dies. Alexanders produce vigorous, branched, hollow, longitudinally channelled leafy stems, forming a beautiful clump that reaches an average height of 90 cm (35in) and a width of 50-60 cm (20-24in), depending on growing conditions. Its fleshy root is tap-rooted, like that of a carrot. It penetrates deeply into the soil and serves as a storage organ. The large leaves are deeply divided into broad, strongly dentate leaflets, light green. The basal leaves are more deeply divided than those of the stems. Flowering occurs from April to July. It takes the form of umbels of tiny greenish-yellow flowers, rich in nectar, which give way to quickly germinating seeds in light soil. It is interesting to let a plant go to seed each year to harvest the seeds. Spontaneous self-seeding is not uncommon, and Smyrnium olusatrum can be decorative in flower beds and among shrubs, similar to common fennel. It also promotes biodiversity in the garden.

The entire plant is aromatic and edible: its roots can be eaten raw or cooked, and young shoots can be consumed raw in salads as a substitute for parsley, braised, or candied in sugar. The stems and foliage add an exciting flavour to soups and stews and are available throughout winter. To soften their taste, they can be blanched by tying and protecting them from light, similar to cardoons and celery. As a condiment, the umbel flower heads, buds, and developing fruits can be pickled in vinegar, like capers. The dried seeds have a peppery and slightly bitter flavour and make an original spice.

Harvest: cut the leaves and stems with scissors as needed throughout the two-year growth cycle. Harvest the flowers and seeds in the second year. Dig up the plant in the autumn of its first year to consume the root.

Storage: Consume alexanders fresh to enjoy its aroma fully. However, it is also possible to freeze or dry the leaves and stems for more extended storage. The flower buds and stems can be pickled in salted vinegar. Once dried, the seeds can be stored in a tightly closed jar.

Gardener's tip: to reduce watering, we recommend mulching the soil with successive layers of grass clippings, if possible, mixed with dead leaves. This protection helps keep the soil moist and also reduces weed growth.