Eating Nasturtium- an Edible Plant in My Garden

Ivylore
by Ivylore
Well, I finally got up the nerve to taste the nasturtium vine that I have planted all over in my garden this year. I have been reading that all parts of this plant are edible and it is often used in salads because the leaves and the stems are spicy and it adds a little "zing" to the salad.
I like hot and spicy (I add hot sauce or hot pepper to most of my food)! I tentatively took a bite of the leave- definitely hot! Then I tried the stem- yep, even hotter... I liked it! (I still have not tried the flower!) As I was preparing a snack for my 95 year old Mom, I decided to add some of the nasturtium to a pasta dish which I thought was kind of bland. I blended the leaves and the stems with the pasta and then spread it on some crackers. She loved them and ate them up! It will be fun to experiment with this new (for me) culinary discovery. It should be an interesting addition to hot sauce or a cheesy taco chip dip... I'll let you know :)
nasturtium vine in planter with pretty red, yellow and orange flowers
the nasturtium/pasta spread to be enjoyed on crackers!
a few of the nasturtium leaves- they're very soft!
added the leaves and stems to the pasta in my little magic bullet blender
blending the pasta with the nasturtium
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  • Ivylore Ivylore on Aug 23, 2013
    Thanks, Luis- I am really liking how bright and pretty the flowers are. I will definitely be welcoming it back to my garden for next year!
  • Robin S Robin S on Dec 28, 2014
    I recently found out the flower buds are sometimes used in place of capers.
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