The image, above, shows the full Good King Henry plant(Chenopodium bonus-henricus), with the young plant, just
coming into flower on the left, and an older plant in full flower
on the right..
| Common Name: Good King Henry |
| Scientific Name: Chenopodium bonus-henricus |
| Other Names: All Good, Good Neighbour, Wild Spinach, Poor-man's Asparagus, Lincolnshire Asparagus and Mercury |
| Family: Amaranthaceae |
| Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, north to Scandanavia, W. Asia, N. America. |
Physical Characteristics
Chenopodium bonus-henricus is a hardy Perennial plant, growing to 30cm (1ft) by 30cm (1 ft) in size. It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. The plant flowers from May to July and seeds ripen from June to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite and are wind pollinated.
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| Edible Parts: Leaves, Flowers, Seeds |
 Edibility Rating: 4 
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 Known Hazards: Although no reports of toxicity have been given for this species, it should be noted that Good King Henry contains saponins. These are toxic compounds, however, they are only poorly absorbed by the body and tend to pass through the gut without causing harm. Saponins are also broken down by cooking. Still, if eating this plant for the first time it is advisable not to consume in large quantities. The plant is also high in oxalic acid (which is what gives the plant its acidic, lemony, flavour. It is fine to consume in small quantities, but should not be eaten in large amounts or at regular intervals as oxalic acid can make food nutrients, particularly calcium, unavailable to the human digestion, leading to mineral deficiencies. However, the oxalic acid levels are decreased if the plant is cooked before consuming. People with a tendency to gout, rheumatism, arthropathies, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take particular care if introducing this plant into their diet, as it could aggravate their condition (but only the raw leaves contain oxalic acid, which is reduced on cooking).
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Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Good King Henry along with all the Good King Henry containing recipes presented on this site, with 5 recipes in total.
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Good King Henry as a major wild food ingredient.
Good King Henry, Chenopodium bonus-henricus (also known as All Good, Good Neighbour, Wild Spinach, Poor-man's Asparagus, Lincolnshire Asparagus and Mercury) is a perennial plant and a member of the Amaranthaceae (amaranth) family which grows to some 80cm high. The plant's stem bears leaves that are some 5–10cm long (and broad) and which are arrow-shaped and have a pair of broad pointed lobes near the base. The texture of the leaves is somewhat waxy and reflective. The plant is a native of the Mediterranean but seems to have been transplanted to northern Europe with the migration of some of the earliest farmers some 5000 years ago. The plants grow well in well-manured ground and were thus seen near early farmsteads where they were cultivated. They continued as a popular cottage pot-herb through the Medieval era, until broad-leaved spinaches became broadly available (this is why Good King Henry is still commonly seen on or near many medieval sites). As a perennial Good King Henry can be treated as an everlasting spinach as long as only a few leaves are harvested from a single plant at any one time.
The leaves of the plant can be cooked simply as a spinach and the stems make a rather inferior substitute to asparagus (hence the common name of Lincolnshire asparagus) if the young shoots are cut when they are no more than 20cm high with the leaves being stripped off. This should be tied in bundles and boiled for no more than eight minutes. Only pick leaves from plants that are more than 1 year old, as this allows the plants to develop a sufficient rootstock. Young leaves can also be used raw in salads (but they should be consumed sparingly due to the presence of oxalic acid).
The leaves are best in spring and early summer and should be prepared as a potherb. Older leaves become tough, bitter and unpalatable.
When under cultivation in good soil, the shoots can be as thick as a pencil. When about 12cm long they are cut with a knife just under the surface of the ground, peeled and cooked like asparagus. This makes a very pleasant early spring vegetable. The plant can also be blanched under pots to encourage longer and more succulent shoots to form.
The young flower pods, though small are harvested and when cooked are considered a gourmet food. The seeds are edible and in the past have been ground to a flour to be used as a bread additive. However, if gathering seeds (they are fiddly to harvest) they should be soaked over night to remove any excess saponins before being dried and prepared.
Interestingly, rather than being a reference to any of the Henrician kings of England, the plant's name refers to 'Good Henry' an elf-like figure from Saxon folklore. In recent years Good King Henry has returned to popularity as a herb garden perennial and commercial seed for this plant are now fairly readily available.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Good King Henry as a major wild food ingredient.
Good King Henry, Chenopodium bonus-henricus (also known as All Good, Good Neighbour, Wild Spinach, Poor-man's Asparagus, Lincolnshire Asparagus and Mercury) is a perennial plant and a member of the Amaranthaceae (amaranth) family which grows to some 80cm high. The plant's stem bears leaves that are some 5–10cm long (and broad) and which are arrow-shaped and have a pair of broad pointed lobes near the base. The texture of the leaves is somewhat waxy and reflective. The plant is a native of the Mediterranean but seems to have been transplanted to northern Europe with the migration of some of the earliest farmers some 5000 years ago. The plants grow well in well-manured ground and were thus seen near early farmsteads where they were cultivated. They continued as a popular cottage pot-herb through the Medieval era, until broad-leaved spinaches became broadly available (this is why Good King Henry is still commonly seen on or near many medieval sites). As a perennial Good King Henry can be treated as an everlasting spinach as long as only a few leaves are harvested from a single plant at any one time.
The leaves of the plant can be cooked simply as a spinach and the stems make a rather inferior substitute to asparagus (hence the common name of Lincolnshire asparagus) if the young shoots are cut when they are no more than 20cm high with the leaves being stripped off. This should be tied in bundles and boiled for no more than eight minutes. Only pick leaves from plants that are more than 1 year old, as this allows the plants to develop a sufficient rootstock. Young leaves can also be used raw in salads (but they should be consumed sparingly due to the presence of oxalic acid).
The leaves are best in spring and early summer and should be prepared as a potherb. Older leaves become tough, bitter and unpalatable.
When under cultivation in good soil, the shoots can be as thick as a pencil. When about 12cm long they are cut with a knife just under the surface of the ground, peeled and cooked like asparagus. This makes a very pleasant early spring vegetable. The plant can also be blanched under pots to encourage longer and more succulent shoots to form.
The young flower pods, though small are harvested and when cooked are considered a gourmet food. The seeds are edible and in the past have been ground to a flour to be used as a bread additive. However, if gathering seeds (they are fiddly to harvest) they should be soaked over night to remove any excess saponins before being dried and prepared.
Interestingly, rather than being a reference to any of the Henrician kings of England, the plant's name refers to 'Good Henry' an elf-like figure from Saxon folklore. In recent years Good King Henry has returned to popularity as a herb garden perennial and commercial seed for this plant are now fairly readily available.
References:
[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
The alphabetical list of all Good King Henry recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 5 recipes in total:
Page 1 of 1
| A Messe of Greens Origin: Britain | Potato and Good King Henry Frittata Origin: Britain | Wild Herb Casserole Origin: Britain |
| Good King Henry Aloo Origin: Fusion | Wild Greens Soup Origin: Britain |
Page 1 of 1