~ by VeraVeg
Greens. Fruits. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, we tend to talk a lot about those here at the Green Smoothie Queen blog. And rightly so, because they’re so delicious and nutritious!
But what about flowers? We don’t tend to talk too much about those, probably because the idea of eating flowers is usually far from mind when the subject is mentioned. We’re bringing up the subject now, however, and there’s a particular tasty one that comes to my mind on the mention of edible flowers: Nasturtiums!
A Brief History of Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums get their name from the Latin words for nose (nas), and tortum (twist), referring to a persons’ reaction upon tasting the spicy, bittersweet leaves. Nasturtium flowers are colorful, edible, butterfly-like blossoms that have delighted gardeners and cooks alike for centuries. At different times in their history, nasturtiums have been considered a vegetable, herb, flower, and even a fruit!
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.
Later 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.
In Victorian times, the flowers and long-lasting leaves were popular in bouquets and table arrangements! Additionally, nasturtiums were frequently eaten as they were known to help prevent scurvy since the leaves are rich in Vitamin C.
Later still, having returned to the Americas, Thomas Jefferson planted them in his vegetable garden at Monticello from at least 1774 onward. Interestingly, in one entry in his garden book, he categorized it as a fruit amongst others such as the tomato, indicating that he ate the pickled seeds. (We know now that these pickled flower buds are high in oxalic acid and therefore should not be eaten in large quantities.) Most nasturtiums grown at this time were the tall, trailing orange variety.
The recent and present interest in edible flowers, herbs, ornamental kitchen gardens and heirloom flowers has helped keep a full array of old and new cultivators available for every possible use this incredibly versatile plant. My personal favorite use of nasturtiums has definitely got to be for… Eating! 🙂
Nummy Nasturtiums!
It’s pretty easy to include nasturtium leaves in any green smoothie recipe. They do have a peppery taste, but I find that peppery greens pair quite nicely with blueberry, ginger, and a hint of raw cacao. You can even brighten up your salad by adding lovely nasturtium blossoms to gently kiss your beautiful salad greens!
Curious about raw recipes that include nasturtiums as a tasty ingredient? Then stay tuned for our next Green Smoothie Queen blog post and we’ll share with you a nifty ways to make nasturtiums a nummy part of … pesto!