Hibiscus sabdariffa commonly called sorrel or roselle comes from the Malvaceae family and originated from India and Malaysia; it later spread to Africa and the Caribbean.
Sorrel came into season early this year and I have made good use of it. Sorrel was available almost all year round with increased production from September. 
Sorrel is a must at Christmas time. Every home you visit serves sorrel drink and overseas visitors just cannot get enough of it.
Sorrel drink is refreshing and is the right thing to cool down with on a hot day.
Sorrel is an annual plant that flowers and bears fruit twice in one year and then dies. In good conditions it grows to a height of approximately 6 feet.
Sorrel is very easy to grow and is a hardy plant. The flowers are creamy yellow with a scarlet throat that looks like a small hibiscus flower and the fruit usually comes in time for the Christmas season. Approximately 3 weeks after flowering the fruit is ready for harvesting. There are 2 varieties of sorrel on the market, the regular red and a very dark red one.
The thick red sepals are used for culinary and medicinal purposes, although the flowers, fruits and leaves are all edible.
Sorrel can be brewed to make tea; jams, jellies, sauces, syrups, juices, drink and wine can also be made from it.
You can sun dry Sorrel and store it to use all year round. Dried Sorrel is available all year round in many countries around the world. China and Thailand are the world’s largest producers.
Sorrel can be grown by seeds in full sunlight.
Have a Happy and Blessed New Year.
Until next week, Happy Gardening.
