Samphire, which has grown in popularity as an accompaniment to fish dishes in the last decade, is cultivated in the summer months, when it also grows wild on Norfolk’s salt marshes.
But during winter months, the UK relies on imports from Morocco, Israel, and Mexico to supply top-end restaurants and supermarkets.
Because of its unique growing environment, combining estuarine mud and saltwater, the vegetable has proved difficult to cultivate in a hydroponic system, which entails growing crops in enriched water without using soil.
Russell Sharp, a plant scientist, says he has now developed the perfect technique to grow the vegetable all year round in his hydroponic farms in Daventry. “This is the biggest challenge in agriculture,” Mr Sharp said. “People talk about wasabi being the most difficult plant in the world to grow. But wasabi is easy compared to samphire.”
Read more at msn.com