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Shepherd's Purse

Shepherd's Purse

Product number: 345570
Origin: Europe, Asia
Latin: Capsella bursa-pastoris

This well-known wild plant has been rediscovered! Young harvested rosettes are delicious (and healthy!) in salads or as a topping for soups. The flower buds are also edible, and the young (pouch-shaped) fruits are deliciously spicy in soup or a stir-fry. The roots are wonderfully sharp and can be used as a ginger substitute! Do expect extensive proliferation if you let the plants go to seed, but then again: weeding is always an option...
In folk medicine, infusions were/are used against bleeding, urinary tract inflammation, and as a compress on open bleeding wounds. It is also used in combination with mistletoe and hawthorn against high blood pressure. See the internet for many more applications; it is an herb that can be used frequently without risk.

Names:
Latin: Capsella bursa-pastoris
Dutch: Herderstasje
Also known as: Lepeltjesdief, Tasjeskruid, Bloedkruid, Eendepootjes, Ganzetongen, Lepels En Vorken, Moederstasje, Tuinlepeltje
English: Shepherd's Purse

Sowing method: The seeds can be sown outdoors in autumn or early spring; germination requires a night temperature of below 10°C. Do not cover the seeds with soil, as they are light germinators. If you want to sow them in a seed tray year-round, place the entire tray in the refrigerator for several weeks. Watering a few times with saltpetre (see 809082) helps with germination; Shepherd's Purse is nitrophilous (= reacts positively to the presence of nitrogen).

Sowing/planting time:

October
November
December
January
February
March
April

Harvesting time:

March
April
May
June
July

Soil type:

All soil types

Cultivation location:

Outdoors

Position:

Sun
Partial shade

Flower colour: White small flowers
Origin: Europe, Asia
Average growth height: 30 to 60 cm
Annual or perennial: Biennial
Attractive to insects: Various insects
Winter hardy: Forst hardy
Ease of cultivation: Easy

Latin: Capsella bursa-pastoris
Dutch: Shepherd's purse
Also known as: Shepherd's purse, Shepherd's purse, Common tormentil, Ribwort plantain, Ribwort plantain, Shepherd's purse, Shepherd's purse, Shepherd's purse
English: Shepherd's Purse