Edible gardens.

http://www.chamomiletimes.com/articles/edibleflowers.htm
Pretty neat aint it?! lol. Imma go taste a Nasturtium before work tomorrow. Pray I dont die, muhahaha.

crimson...you'll luv em! We put both the leaves and flowers of nasturtiuns in our salads...they're a bit peppery/spicey but not overwhelming!

Altho probably too late in the season now you should also try some batter fried dandelion buds/flowers. Yummy!

Ill make a note of that!

LOL- double posted. *Blush*

Wow- it IS peppery~! Those nasts are definately worth harvesting!

This message was edited Jul 9, 2004 1:27 PM

Hah!...Pick them in the morning and I don't think they are so spicey, sorta like jalapenos! (Pick hot peppers in the heat of the day they seem to be hotter for some reason.)

Wonder if we can dry some of the Nastys leaves and use it for seasoning soups and such this Winter...or maybe wrap them around grilled foods for extra flavor!

Imma go eat a leaf now.

hello again Crimson:
I recently took a course at the local college on Edible, Medicinal and Edible plants. I was totally amazed to find out that many of the weeds are edible, quite tasty and many are more nutricious than the veggies that we normally grow. For example, knot weed - tastes like pepper and good in salads. Malva leaves are good raw in salads or can be cooked as spinach. Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) flowers are edible if cooked and eaten as artichokes. the whole plant if soaked overnight in salt water can be cooked and eaten. Nut sedge (Cyperus rotundus) tubers are pleasant and have a nutty flavor. Broad leave plantain (Plantago major) leaves can be used as a salad or cooked. Chewing on the rootstock will give relief for toothaches. My favorite in Minor's Lettuce, a wild plant that grows in the Sierras and is very tasty raw. This list can go on and on but I wanted you to be aware of all the food that is available all around us that many are unaware of. We have all become accustomed to eating whatever was in the supermarket or seed catalogs but their is an abundance of food all around us. I don't mean for you to get down on your hands and knees and go munching around in your back yard but rather, to be aware of what is edible and what is not. this is truely the land of plenty and NO ONE should ever be hungry. The Indians survived for thousands of years and perhaps are our best teachers in what to eat and what not to eat. Food for thought........

here's a list of rules about edible flowers.

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1995/7-21-1995/eatflow.html

I read (in a seed saving book) recently that Love Lies Bleeding was edible - BUT since I haven't found that in any of the charts, doing google searches, it won't be found in my salads unless some of you pop in here and say that you've tried them.

I've tried the nasturstiam leaves and they are good. I've thought also about drying them and trying them in a spice - to add kick to spaghetti sauces or something. Anyone tried that with them? If so, how'd it work?

Thanks for the replies y'all! Nasturniums are so yummy hehe. Now I eat them nearly daily. It's a nice snack. :D
Thank you for the link.
And thank you Nada for your wonderful post!

The often overlooked edible part of nasturtiums are the seed pods. If you catch them early, pick em all and drop them overnight in a little white vinegar, they taste just like, and can be substituted for, capers. Excellent with a fresh tomato sauce, mixed with some black olives and fresh pasta.

That sounds yummy! Thank you. :D