Stridolo (Sculpit)
Silene inflata
Stridolo is a fast growing, easy going herb with a mild herby, slightly peppery flavour.
It does best in full sun. In a rich soil it will produce loads of foliage for the kitchen but few flowers,
whilst a poor soil will encourage it to flower more profusely. So plant it accordingly!
This is a fast growing annual herb with long lance like leaves growing from a central stem.
It is best sown directly into its growing position outside as soon as the danger of frosts is past.
The foliage is harvested before the plants flower.
It can be used in egg dishes — scrambled egg and quiches, finely chopped and sprinkled over pasta
or incorporated into salads, soups and risottos.
Stridolo is an popular herb in Italy, indeed in Galeata in Emelia-Romagna they hold a festival each April to celebrate its culinary uses!
An added bonus to this herb is not just its flavour but also dainty but spectacular flowers.
The rather exotic blooms top the central stalk and consist of delicate pink 'balloons' each fringed with delicate white petals.
Stridolo can bloom throughout the summer and is hugely popular with swarms of bees which emerge from the flowered very happy and covered in pollen.