The Rowdy Rocket

Like the rest of the brassica family, this little fellow actually prefers the cooler weather and will continue to grow late into the year. Curiously, some of its closest relatives are broccoli, kale and sprouts – and perhaps more understandably mustard.

Often first noticed in a dish when it’s tasted, the fresh pepperiness of these diminutive leaves really packs a punch. Synonymous with spicing up salads or freshening up Italian cuisine, rocket is a must for any autumnal vegetable patch.

The Rowdy Rocket is our pick for November.

Grow

Although commonly associated with a hot summer’s evening on the Mediterranean coastline, rocket is best grown through the autumn as it thrives in the cooler weather.

Scatter the seeds evenly, and thin to 3-5cm between each plant when the seedlings are big enough to handle. With a bit of love, each rocket plant should be providing lots of fiery leaves for you ~8 weeks after sowing.

Harvest

If your rocket plants are still quite tightly bunched together, you can harvest whole individual plants to further thin out your plot.

Once you’ve reached a nice spacing between plants however, the best harvesting method is ‘cut and come again’. Snip clumps of individual leaves off your rocket plants. Make sure you leave the bottom few cm of the stems with a few leaves on each plant, so it can re-grow some more leaves quickly! Rotate where you harvest to ensure you are getting a continuous supply of fresh leaves.

Eat

Rocket is fiery and fresh and makes a perfect addition to any salad; it can be combined with all types of leaves, to add its peppery punch.

If you’re looking to sample rocket in its purest Mediterranean mastery, combine with parmesan shavings and a simple lemon and olive oil dressing to make a delicious Italian salad.

Carrying on with this Italian theme, rocket, or should we say rucola, can be sprinkled over pizza or cooked within a pasta sauce. Check out Jamie Oliver’s spelt spaghetti for some inspiration 

Alternatively, if you want to push the boat out a little; rocket’s rich flavour lends it perfectly to making hummus! Try a recipe like this one.