Flowers, so bright and cheerful, raise your vibe with out even attempting. Edible flowers take that energy into the centre of your becoming, particularly when they also have medicinal properties like the gorgeous nasturtium. Their flowers are bright trumpets, heralding sunny days. As kids we utilized to pick the nasturtium flowers, bite off the point at the back of the flower and suck out the nectar, the merest fairy sized sip of sweetness.
The plants grow effortlessly and prolifically from seed, tumbling out of planters with abandon, flowering all shades of fire colours from vermilion to ochre. All they require is moisture and not too rich a soil and you are guaranteed a harvest. Anybody with a herb garden can discover a space for a couple of seeds, although if space is limited confine them to a container or they will happily tumble over all your other herbs.
Nasturtium flowers make cheerful posies as a centrepiece for a lunch table, specifically if you have planted a mixture of colours, ranging from gold via bright orange to deep fiery red. Arrange them with a couple of sprigs of other herbs such as rosemary and fennel to add some texture, lavender flowers for contrast and you have an edible, scented bouquet, ideal to take as a gift when you go to buddies.
The nasturtium’s perfect kept secret although is that both the leaves and flowers are edible. Their sharp peppery tang lends a bite of interest to salads and can be a actual boon to a jaded palate when the shops only provide bland varieties of lettuce. A couple of of the round green nasturtium leaves, that look like they could be parasols for mice or fairies, will lift a bland iceberg or butter lettuce into the realms of designer cooking, their bright flowers scattered over to delight the eye and bring an element of enjoyable to your table.
Recipe for a Nasturtium Salad
one lettuce – iceberg, butter or cos
little bunch of nasturtiums – leaves and flowers
ripe red tomatoes
one tablespoon capers
feta cheese
Determine quantities to your own taste. The nasturtium leaves are peppery and the much more you put in the hotter the salad gets. Wash and dry the lettuce and tear into the size pieces you prefer. Rinse the nasturtium leaves, and tear or chop into rough strips. If you are making use of baby tomatoes halve them, chop larger ones into cubes. Cube the feta cheese and sprinkle over the salad with the capers. Best with the entire flowers and possibly one or two entire leaves. This peppery, bright salad is just right to accompany pizza, cold meats or as a starter on its own.
The round leaves are a potent medicinal weapon against sore throats. At the very first sign of a sore throat, chew on a nasturtium leaf each two hours. This can at times get rid of the sore throat altogether, at other people it just prevents it acquiring too poor. The leaves have natural anti-bacterial properties and are rich in vitamin C. They can also be produced into a tea by infusing a couple of leaves in a cup of boiling water for five minutes and sipped either straight or with the addition of a teaspoon of honey.
In ancient times in its native Peru the nasturtium was employed as a wound disinfectant and taken onto battle fields to be utilized as a poultice and a disinfectant wash. Not poor for a fairly garden flower!
