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As much a salad vegetable as a herb, rocket is a pungent annual, not quite hardy but available as a winter crop if protected with cloches or grown in a frame. The young leaves have a warm nutty flavour, becoming quite peppery as they age. Harvest the leaves regularly to prevent them from rushing into flower, especially in mid-summer because their flavour then begins to dwindle. But the flowers are edible and often used as a garnish, while the crisp seedpods also add spicy warmth to salads, so it is a truly versatile crop whatever the weather.