Hello All,
I don't know why I've just discovered this forum....I've been growing and using herbs for years. I do veggies and flowers too but my passion is herbs and finding ways to use them. In fact, my guest bedroom is now my deidcated' drying' room. I noticed some folks said to not dry with ac or in sunlight. I have to dry with ac to here due to high humidity. It does take several days though. I have several 'trays' with window screen attached. Place the herbs on those and place as many as I can in a north facing window sill. Those dry the best. The ones that I can't give the window treatment to are placed on paper towels and spread throughout the room with odds and ends holding them down. I keep the ac on and the ceiling fan on. Different herbs dry at different times for me.
I recently started adding my nasturtium blossoms to salads and they are delicious. Even the young kids like them. Everyone wants 'the most' flowers in their bowl. Great with a simple vinaigrette of your choosing. My daughter's favorite is with a little red wine vinegar, a little olive oil, a little honey, a little dijon, garlic and fresh tarragon. I planted a nasturtium mix so there is a variety of colors for the salad and they have just bloomed away for me in the last 2 months. The plants aren't doing that well any longer due to the heat. Time to use those blossoms up!
Tonight I'm experimenting using them in tea with honey. We'll see how it turns out.
What do ya'll do with yours?
Adding Nasturtium Blossoms to Salad
Hi Knolan!
I don't have great success with Nasturtiums as they lean to cooler weather and I never get them started early enough. Mostly, I just shred blooms and leaves in a salad and nibble some off the plants. I am the only adventuresome soul at our house so I don't go to great lengths using them.
Glad to run into you here. I must admit herbs are an addiction for many of us. Sounds like with your experience, you will have much information to share! Have you managed Calendula in the heat?
pod
Hi Podster! Good to see you here.
This was my first lucky year with the nasturtiums. I planted them in early March and I've gotten a great show. Most are almost dead now though. I'll probably have flowers for another week or so.
You know, I haven't grown calendula. Tell me about it....I may have to get some!
Right now, my favorite is cat mint. I love those pretty little blossoms.
hi knolan.
I hope to try them; mine haven't started blooming yet. We've really had a slow start this year with the weather.
I am curious to know how you planted yours, in the ground or in hanging pots as I did?
I like to use nasturtiums in my hanging pots, usually around my spider plants, but this year I also added them to the sunflowers I'm trying to grow in a larger pot. I hope it will be good 'pot cover' lol.
You can also stuff the nasturtium blossoms with cream cheese. Add whatever herbs you would like to the softened cream cheese first.
Oh, that sounds delicious.
Nanniepb, I planted mine in the ground. I have 8 raised beds for the veggies and herbs and I scatter planted the nasturtiums in 6 of them.
You can also eat the seeds! You can pickle them, like you would with capers!
I tuck them around in various beds, too, but as with the rest of the Texans, mine are about gone, except the ones very close to the fence are still trying. I think I set the seeds out in February. But when the temps and the humidity both stay in the 90s all day, a lot of herbs give up!