Burdock Samurai

Samurai burdock - "Samurai" vegetable burdock is a biennial herbaceous plant with a taproot, cultivated for juicy root crops and young leaves.

In the first year of life, burdock forms a powerful rosette of leaves and a root crop 30–35 cm long, 5 cm in diameter, and weighing from 200 to 600 g. Roots are grayish-white, juicy, sweetish, with dense pulp containing more than 35% inulin, iron, and other active substances. Young leaves contain up to 300 mg% of vitamin C - six times more than in a lemon.

In the second year the plant flowers, forming a branched shoot 100–140 cm high. It is cultivated on moist soils; sowing is done directly into the ground to a depth of 1–2 cm according to the scheme 40×60 cm in two terms: in spring (April–May) or in winter (end of October). Care includes weeding, loosening, and maintaining soil moisture. Root harvesting is carried out in September–October of the first year.

Burdock "Samurai" is widely used as a vegetable: it can be boiled, fried, added to soups, salads, preserves, as well as used for making coffee or replacing flour. Due to the high inulin content, it is suitable for diabetics, as this polysaccharide breaks down into fructose - a safe sugar. The plant has antibacterial properties and is used as a wound-healing agent.