Fancy a gardening challenge? Try growing tricky but tasty Italian agretti

Native to the Mediterranean basin, agretti (Salsola soda) is a crop particularly beloved by Italians, who both forage for and cultivate it. Yet the needle-like leaves (similar to chives) of this vegetable –also known as saltwort or monk’s beard (from the Italian barba di frate) – remain a rare sight on British menus.

Its succulent leaves – which taste savoury and a touch bitter, with a hint of brininess – may not be to everyone’s taste, but it is worth giving it a go – for the challenge of successfully cultivating a somewhat tricky plant.

In its preferred environment – sunny, coastal marshland – agretti grows abundantly. It can do well in the sunniest part of your garden, too, but the challenge is getting it started.

It is vital to sow the seeds as soon as you get them, as the chance of successful germination rapidly diminishes over time. Don’t bet on more than three months of viability – no leaving the packet languishing in the seed box!

Agretti’s germination rate isn’t great either, so sow more than you have room for (then, if you’re lucky, you will have extra seedlings to present to other growers who, you can bet, will greatly appreciate the uncommon gift).

Spring – around now – is a good time to sow agretti. Soaking the seeds overnight will help to soften their hard outer coat and kickstart germination. Your plants should be large enough to plant out in the ground between six and eight weeks after they first sprout, and they will need 20cm of space in between them to fill out.

Once it’s happily growing, agretti is a fairly undemanding crop. It likes free-draining soil but doesn’t require feeding, and since it prefers to grow in brackish (slightly salty) water, it doesn’t mind if the soil is wet (but not waterlogged). Take care that it doesn’t go thirsty in dry weather, though, as that can impede the leaves’ growth and mar the taste.

With its upright habit and slender foliage, agretti can struggle to compete with weeds, so keep the surrounding ground clear. Having said that, it appeared to remain unbothered by pests and diseases last season (in the south of the UK), which is always a good quality in a crop. It will reward a well-executed harvest (snipped just above a growth point, as with basil) with more bushy growth.

It’s a plant that can be eaten raw: I like adding it to a mixed salad, dressed with vinaigrette. More commonly, it is prepared as you would a leafy vegetable such as spinach or chard: sauteed in olive oil with garlic, then a spritz of lemon and some freshly ground black pepper. I like to serve it as a side dish, or twirled around pasta in what is now known in our house as “agretti spaghetti”.