Sea Kale

Crambe maritima Sea kale is a native perennial, occurring from Fife and Islay southwards and in Ireland. It is found on coastal sands, shingle, rock and cliffs and is often a plant of the driftline. It flowers from June to August. Sea kale was known to the Romans who gathered it from the wild and preserved it in barrels for use during long voyages. Inhabitants of coastal regions commonly picked it for use as a cabbage-like vegetable, while later it was cultivated in a blanched form in gardens so that the stalks could be eaten and sold in the markets of England and France.