June 22 2008 - I took the family to Keyhaven with the intention of fishing for spider crabs off the rocks of Hurst Spit, but this plan was foiled by high winds - whipping up the solent into big swells and breakers - crabbing was definitely not on the cards.

Determined not to return home empty-handed, we went for a walk around Keyhaven harbour and out beside the salt marsh toward Lymington. There, we found Marsh Samphire in great abundance.

What is Marsh Samphire?

Salicornia spp - A genus of several very similar-looking species of succulent, jointed, upright plants - consisting of jointed, branched, leafless stems up to 8 inches or so in height - each plant resembling a Saguaro cactus, in miniature.

Found on salt marshes and mud flats, this plant is found mostly below the high water mark - so it is inundated at high tide.

What Does 'Samphire' Mean?

Marsh Samphire takes its name from the superficially similar, but unrelated Rock Samphire - which grows on cliffs and banks near the shore - because this other plant is often found growing straight out of the rock, it was known as St Peter's Herb - Herb Saint-Pierre, and over time, this was corrupted to Herb Samphire.

Picking Marsh Samphire.

Many people just pull up the whole plant - root and all - I prefer not to do this, for a couple of reasons; mainly because it makes a mess - putting the muddy root into your basket or bag just means more washing, trimming and sorting back at home, but also, leaving the root and the base of the plant in situ may allow it to recover and regrow - some species are perennial - but even the annual ones, if not cut right down, can probably regrow in the same season if a few of the bottom stem sections are left behind.

So for this reason, I prefer to cut it with a sharp knife - in places where it is found growing densely, a whole handful can be grasped and cut free - so it's not even particularly fiddly doing it this way.

Because of its favoured habitats - salt marshes - care should be taken when collecting Marsh Samphire - there is the potential hazard of finding yourself stuck in the mud, watching the tide return. Also, one should be careful not to disturb wildlife such as ground-nesting birds.

Marsh Samphire Pickle

This has to be one of the easiest pickles ever - the samphire stems are washed and trimmed to remove any damaged or woody pieces, then simmered in salted water for just a couple of minutes, then packed into clean jars.

A spiced pickling mixture is poured over - consisting in this case of three parts spirit vinegar to one part water, boiled together with some pickling spices - a couple of juniper berries, some cloves, coriander seeds, peppercorns and allspice berries

I haven't tasted it yet, but I reckon it's going to be a bit like little gherkins...