To the people of antiquity, the oat root, or, as it is also called, the goat's beard, was known better than the modern one. They knew a lot about not only its taste, but also the medicinal properties that it possesses.
Today it is cultivated in the Mediterranean countries, USA, Russia and Europe. It is served in restaurants as a delicacy, and homeopaths and nutritionists recommend it for the treatment and prevention of many diseases.
Description of the plant
This biennial plant produces an edible and useful root in the first year, and flowers and sows seeds in the second. Oat root perfectly tolerates frost and sprouts already at a temperature of +3 degrees. The stem of the plant is smooth or slightly pubescent, grows up to 60 cm in height. The leaves are wavy, linear, a beautiful bluish-green hue.
Oat root (photo shows this) blooms in single baskets with large petals of purple, sometimes blue. To see this beautiful ornamental plant in all its glory, you should watch it in the morning, as only at this time of the day its flowers open.
The root crop grows up to 40 cm, haslight shade, and in its lower part small thin roots are formed, thanks to which it got its name goatbeard.
To gardeners who take care of their he alth, oat root is well known, but only its foreign hybrid varieties. In domestic selection, he is not given due attention. In the wild, it grows in Siberia, in the south of Ukraine and the Crimea. Hybrid varieties are self-pollinating and excellent honey plants.
Chemical composition
Salsify belongs to the genus Goatbeard of the Astrov family. About 150 species of oat root are known in the world, but only 40 varieties are used for food and medicinal purposes. The leaves and roots of this plant contain:
- nitrous substances;
- vitamins PP, B2, B3, B1, B6, B9, E;
- minerals: phosphorus, potassium, selenium, manganese, zinc, calcium, sodium, iron;
- fiber - up to 3.3 g;
- proteins - up to 3.4 g;
- carbohydrates - up to 15.4 g;
- inulin - 8 g;
- water - 77%;
- sugar - up to 15%.
This product is recommended for people with obesity problems due to its 82 kcal calorie content, and for diabetics due to its low glycemic index of 30 and the presence of inulin.
Effect on the body
Unfortunately, domestic gardeners are poorly aware of what an oat root is.
The medicinal properties of this plant and its taste cannot be overestimated. Goatbeard is used as:
- anti-inflammatory;
- antiseptic;
- immunomodulating;
- wound healing agent;
- tonic;
- diuretic;
- cholagogue.
Besides these qualities, it has the ability to regulate heart rate, stabilize blood pressure, normalize metabolism and activate the digestive system. Also, his merit with long-term use is to improve the composition of the blood, the functioning of the liver, kidneys, pancreas and genitourinary system.
Oat root is recommended for diabetics to relieve the symptoms of diabetes and people with problems in the gastrointestinal tract. It removes puffiness, relieves inflammation and infectious problems in the liver and lungs, blocks the development and spread of cancerous tumors, and is effective for ulcers and skin diseases.
Oat root tastes good
In addition to a set of useful substances, this plant has excellent taste qualities. It can be eaten raw, rubbed into a salad. It has a delicate slightly sweet taste and goes well with legumes, milk, cheese, sour cream, lentils and radishes, bell peppers, rice and spinach.
It can be baked, used as a filling for pies, eaten raw like carrots, added to sauces, vegetable purees and soups. Boiled and baked, the root acquires an oyster flavor, for which it is often called “vegetable oyster.”
In many countries, dried and ground oat root is used as a coffee substitute or spice. The leaves of this plant are also edible, but beforewhen consumed, they should be wrung out of the milky juice. Some varieties of goatbeard have bitterness, but if you boil it in s alt water, then it will go away.
Growing
To plant and grow this useful root crop in the garden, no special efforts are required. It is quite unpretentious, but if the soil on the site is poor, it is better to fertilize it with ammonium nitrate and potassium s alt in advance.
To get a strong oat root, growing from seed must be done early, before the soil has even warmed up. For this, seed of a year ago is suitable. If the seeds have been lying longer, then they may not germinate, as they have a short shelf life.
To make the sowing even, it is recommended to mix the seeds with peat and throw them often to a depth of 2 cm, while the row spacing should be at least 20 cm. When 2-3 leaves appear on the stem, the plants need to be thinned out, leaving a distance of 10-12 cm between them.
Sowing can also be done in the middle of summer, then by winter the goatbeard will get stronger, overwinter well and give a strong and tasty root in the spring.
Oat Root Care
How useful, just as unpretentious oat root. Growing and caring for it in the garden consists of 2-3 fertilizing per season with mineral fertilizers at the rate of 30 g per 1 m2. It should be ensured that they have less nitrogen, and more phosphorus and potassium, then the harvest will be large.
This plant loveswater, so watering should be done twice a week at the rate of 5-7 liters per 1 m2. If the summer is dry, then during the period of formation and growth of the root, it is necessary to water it abundantly, otherwise it will become hard and inedible. Mulching the soil helps well in dry weather.
Also remember to weed as they appear.
