Look at the size of those roots!

Just got back from the plot folks. Well I say just got back, what I mean is I got back, washed some dishes, made a pasta salad (with shop bought vegetables I'm afraid, it's the time of year), drank some Czechoslovakian lager and then sat down here. I have only one thing on my mind (well two if you include the usual). Can I eat spinach roots?

All of last years spinach is going to seed so the leaves are becoming bitter and are now sitting on the compost heap. Digging up the roots I couldn't help but notice their fantastic size and the brilliant whiteness of the flesh. I have to admit that I cut a bit off and had a taste. I can report that it had pleasant clean and fresh flavour not dissimilar to spinach leaf. I should also mention that I hadn't eaten anything significant for a good 4 hours, and typically I need to eat at least every half hour or I become feint and moody. This could have impacted on my objectivity.

I have just spent the last half hour going through my books and surfing the internet looking for recipes for spinach root, or failing that just some confirmation of its edibility. I have found nothing. Or at least nothing that would give me the confidence to chow down on a spinach root roast without a vague feeling of impending unpleasant discovery.

What I have found is articles on...

~ the uptake of trace elements by a variety of plant roots,
~ pathogen activity in Swedish spinach fields,
~ a recipe for spinach roots that doesn't use spinach roots,
~ a recipe for mastic pudding,
~ yes, a recipe for mastic pudding,

and my personal favourite

~ a forum entry asking if anyone knew if spinach root is edible.
~ With no replies goddammit!
~ oh, and according to the good doctor you shouldn't feed large quantities of spinach to young children due to the high oxalic acid content, a fact that children all over the country will probably rejoice in

Sometimes the internet can be a major pain in the composter.

So to summarise.

~ I can't get proper bullet points to work,
~ spinach root has quite a nice flavour and looks very wholesome,
~ spinach root in a recipe actually refers to the short length of stalks where they leave the root proper (looks nice too),
~ oxalic acid causes kidney stones and you shouldn't eat too much of it (22g would kill half of all adult humans that ingested it (that's 22g each)),
~ many children don't like spinach,
~ mastic has more uses than you'd think,
~ I will eat anything when I'm hungry,
~ the internet isn't as clever as it thinks it is,
~ it does too think! We've all seen the Terminator, it can't be long now - a possibility the colonel has failed to account for

and my personal favourite

~ Czechoslovakian lager is lovely! (and isn't made from rice, like that American nonsense).

The next weeks will be very busy, I will keep you up to date as much as possible. This is all much easier if you tell me what you want to know you know.

Bye for now.

Oh, and much respect to Mogg for the marathon and stuff, 3hrs and 43 minutes.