Absolutely correct. You want to harvest sorrel while it is young. As it matures it gets both tough and bitter, with none of that clean citrusy flavor it's known for.
While more heat tolerant than many other greens, sorrel still isn't at it's prime during really hot weather. Once that sets in I stop growing it until restarting as part of the fall garden.
FWIW, sorrel is a bienial. If you leave it to winter over it will die back to ground level, then regrow the following spring. But even the young second year growth lacks the flavor we're looking for, because all the plant wants to do is set seed.
If you've got the room, incidentally, there's no reason not to let it do so. Once the seed has dropped, pull the mature plants. The following spring you'll get a jump start with the volunteers. |