Tasty flowers (Nasturtiums)

Member Name: gill1960

Product:	Nasturtiums
Date:	18/07/03 (158 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: tasty, colourful

Disadvantages: none

Nasturtiums are a great herb to have around the garden, not only can you eat the whole plant which is high in vitamin C and benefits our health, it is an attractive flower and adds colour to any garden.

The compact variety is great for small places or tubs whilst the trailing variety can fill hanging baskets and look great. There are lots of different colours to choose from, that choice is yours. From vibrant reds to pale yellows.

The seeds are fairly large so they are easy to handle.The seeds germinate in about a week and start to flower about a four weeks later. So no more long waiting periods to see your results if you are impatient like me.

They will self seed and come back the next year if we have a mild winter. If you don't trust the british weather, pick the seeds off the plant and keep them indoors till next year.

Having said that if you did loose your nasturtium seeds because of a bad winter the price of a pack of 25 seeds will not break the bank. Prices start from £1 upwards. You can buy them from most garden centres.

PLANTING TIME.

Plant the seeds after the last frost, plant them in the ground or suitable containers as mentioned earlier on.
Plant the seeds half an inch down. It does not matter if you have got poor soil, nasturtiums aren't fussy about that.
They do prefer sunny positions though and produce more flowers in the sun than if placed in shady places.

The large roundish leaves have a pepperish taste, not unlike watercress and they give a welcome Zing to the salad, or you can use them on sandwiches just as you would use general salad stuff.

The trumpet shaped flowers are rather bland in taste but very colourful and make any dish attractive, float a flower on a pale soup or garnish a prawn cocktail.

Pickle the seeds whilst still green and use as false capers. Or grind the dried seeds in a pepper mill, and use them like black pepper.

If yo
u see any sign of insects on your nasturtiums (if you plan to eat them) Never use pesticides on them, just spray them with soapy water to kill the insects.

I hope you enjoy your nasturtiums use your imagination in food preparations and enjoy.

My final thought is I love zingy taste of them, they are easily grown and add colour to gardens and food.

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