Common Golden Thistle or Spanish Salsify has golden yellow flowers that look like other members of the Compositeas.

Growing Spanish Salsify

• The plants prefer light well-drained soil. Occasionally it will be found growing wild but as its name suggests it grows well in Spain where it is also known as Spanish Oyster.
• Spanish Salsify is a biennial or perennial plant, which grows 2-3′ tall and is very spiny. The stems are branched at the top, with discontinuous spiny branchlets.
• Cultivation has reduced since Victorian times when it was more popular

Growing for Eating and Cooking

• All parts of the plant are edible but the roots were originally thought  to have a slight diuretic effect.
• Root eaten raw or cooked have a sweet flavour that makes an excellent vegetable though it is rather low yielding.
• The roasted root has been used as a coffee substitute
• Young leaves and leafstalks can be blanched and used in salads
• The flowers are used to adulterate saffron as a food colouring
• In Spain the main uses are in salads or with scrambled eggs .

Read more on the UN Agricultural web site

Ordinary Salsify

• Grown from seed the roots can be stored for winter use.
• Salsify Scorzobianca produces slender, parsnip-like white skinned roots. They can be left in the ground and lifted as required. In the spring the tender shoots of Salsify Scorzobianca make an appetising green vegetable.
• Seeds available from Thompson Morgan
• The roots have a delicious, delicate flavour likened to Oysters or Asparagus.
• Salsify is a good source of Vitamin C and potassium.