It was late afternoon before I decided what to write about today. I ventured out to my yard, which is looking so beautiful right now with many perennials in full bloom, and the annuals still flush with color and verdant foliage. I thought that I might get an idea while wandering about the yard.
And, so it happened! In my front garden bed, I have some nasturtiums. They have finally flushed out and filled the spaces between the individual plants with jewel tone flowers. Not yet trailing over the side of our retaining wall, I was still admiring their healthy appearance while I shot a few photos.
We can have some nasturtiums for dinner as a side salad, I thought! I knew before buying and growing this species the entire plant was edible! I remember eating them once before and knew they’d be tasty. Nasturtiums are peppery and can add a bit of zip to a salad or sandwich. The leaves, stem, and flowers are all edible with the flowers having a slightly sweet taste, supposedly from the nectar. The greens can be a good replacement for mustard or another spicy condiment.
I went inside to grab scissors and announce that in addition to our leftover manicotti from last night, we would be trying a nasturtium salad. My sister in law, who is visiting was game; my husband was not.
I think he was suspicious of my intent (jokingly). So to prove to him that I knew they were edible, I turned to the internet and looked up several pieces on nasturtiums. The references are listed below.
I enjoyed our edible flower salad and had two helpings of it. My husband still abstained and my sister in law had one helping, stating that she liked it and that it reminded her of arugula with its peppery taste.
The summer still has several weeks left and my nasturtium patch is large. I’m sure I’ll be enjoying another one of these salads before too long!
While I am not a forager, I know that I can grow some tasty, more unusual, edibles right in my own flower garden!
Mangia!
Ciao!
Resources
National Gardening Association – Edible Landscaping/
Wisconsin Master Gardener Website
Mother Earth News, Nasturtium: An Edible Flower with a Bite. (1982).
The Apples in My Orchard 