Colorful Edible Nasturtiums
If you follow my blogs on a regular basis, you know that I enjoy flower photography. Dolores and I photographed a variety of nasturtiums during a recent visit to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. I thought you might find it interesting that these flowers are edible.
“Colorful, edible, butterfly-like nasturtium blossoms have delighted gardeners and cooks alike for centuries. At different times in their history, they’ve been considered a vegetable, an herb, a flower, and even a fruit! The name nasturtium comes from the Latin words for nose (nas), and tortum (twist), referring to a persons’ reaction upon tasting the spicy, bittersweet leaves. Renaissance botanists named it after watercress, (Nasturtium officinale in Latin) which tastes similar.
The garden nasturtiums we grow today descend mainly from 2 species native to Peru. The first, brought to Europe by Spanish conquistadors in the late 15th to early 16th century, was Tropaeolum minus, a semi-trailing vine bearing spurred, lightly scented orange-yellow flowers with dark red spots on the petals and shield-shaped leaves. According to Jesuit missionaries, the Incas used nasturtiums as a salad vegetable and as a medicinal herb. In the late 17th century, a Dutch botanist introduced the taller, more vigorous Tropaeolum majus, a trailing vine with darker orange flowers and more rounded leaves. Since Spanish and Dutch herbalists shared seeds with their counterparts, the pretty, fragrant and easy-to-grow plants quickly became widespread throughout around Europe and Britain.” – Renee’s Garden
Use the following link to learn more about nasturtiums from Renee’s Garden
Set The Table From Your Garden
Nasturtium, Tropaeolum majus, Alaska Group, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA USA
IMG 2803 Canon PowerShot G11 Camera, f/4.0, 1/320 sec., ISO-80, 21 mm, No Flash
Photograph by Roy Kelley
Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs
Have a Terrific Thursday!
Comments(22)