Johannesburg – Autumn has arrived and now is the time to take a look at the best edible plants for your garden.
Edible flowers are now wildly fashionable in restaurant cuisine and home cooking, but historically, edible flowers were used by our Stone Age, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Indian and Mayan ancestors. Ottomans flavoured Turkish delight with roses, while Greeks and Romans garnished their food with Calendula and rose petals.
Dandelions are thought to be one of the bitter herbs in the Bible, and monastery gardens grew herbs and edible flowers for their nourishing and healing qualities.
Edible flowers were popular in Victorian times and candied violet, borage and rose petals were used to garnish cakes and desserts.
Edible flowers not only add colour to our gardens and flavour to our food, but many are rich in antioxidants and vitamins.
Ten of the best edible plants to grow in your garden:
1 Nasturtiums(Tropaeolum majus). Climbing and bush nasturtiums can have plain or variegated leaves and flowers of lemon, orange, gold, brick red, salmon or mahogany. Some have spurs, while others, like Whirlybird, don’t. The spurs can be a trap for aphids, so wash the flowers well to flush out any insects. The flowers and leaves of nasturtiums have a peppery taste and the seeds can be pickled like capers.
2 Borage(Borago officinalis) is a Mediterranean herb with a mild cucumber taste. It is easy to grow and self-seeds. The leaves are blanched and eaten as a vegetable in some parts of Europe. Remove the green hairy sepals and use only the blue, star-like flowers in ice cubes, floated in drinks, or candied to garnish cakes and desserts. Borage was traditionally used in a Pimms cocktail.
3 Calendula(Calendula officinalis) is an annual herb from Europe and was known by the ancients for its healing properties. The common name of “pot marigold” refers to the petals that were added to cottagers’ broth. Petals are used as a colour substitute for saffron in rice, soup, fish and poultry dishes and infused to give colour to cheese, butter and cakes.
4 Pansies and violas come in many colours, and although the flowers can be eaten (some have a mild flavour, while others have a wintergreen taste), they are mainly used as garnishes on salads, cakes and desserts. They can also be candied.
5 Lavender(Lavandula angustifolia) is a Mediterranean herb used in early times for its healing properties. The flowers are edible and were used in the Middle Ages. Strip lavender flowers from the stem and use them to flavour shortbread, ice cream, cakes and jellies. They are strongly flavoured and should be used sparingly.
6 Squash flowers should be harvested just as they are opening and the reproductive parts in the flowers removed with tweezers. The stem can be left as a means of holding the delicate flower. Squash flowers are tasty stuffed with cream cheese, herbs and breadcrumbs, dipped in a light (tempura) batter and fried.
7 Rose petals were used by Romans at their banquets. Just as roses can vary in fragrance, so can the petals in taste, so sample them before using and remove the bitter white base on the petals. Rose syrup is made from an extract of rose petals, and candied rose petals are used to decorate cakes.
8 Pineapple sage(Salvia elegans) from Mexico will grow a metre or more tall and has bright red, tubular flowers. Leaves and flowers have a pineapple scent. Add the dainty flowers to cool drinks and fruit salads.
9 Carnations(Dianthus caryophyllus) were grown in monastery and cottage gardens. The petals have a clove scent and were once used to flavour ales and wines. Petals can be candied or used as a garnish on fruit salads. Remove the bitter white base on each petal.
10 Scented geraniums(pelargoniums) are grown mainly for their scented leaves rather than their small flowers. They come in many scents including nutmeg, peppermint, citrus, rose and chocolate. Victorians used the leaves to flavour foods, jellies and teas, and today the citrus, peppermint and rose-scented varieties are the most commonly used to flavour dishes.
Preparing edible flowers
Pick flowers early in the day, checking for bees and other insects, and choose only newly opened flowers. Faded flowers can have an unpleasant taste.
Faded flowers can have an unpleasant taste. Gently wash flowers before using, and remove pollen and stamens as these are bitter.
Not every flower is edible. Avoid bought flowers or those picked on the roadside, as they may have been treated with pesticides. Identify flowers not by their everyday name, but by their botanical name. Sometimes only a part of a plant is edible, while other parts of the same plant may even be poisonous, so it is important that you research and identify each plant or flower before eating.
Taste small amounts first to make sure there is no adverse reaction, before serving to your family and guests. Small children, pregnant mothers and people suffering from hay fever, asthma or allergies should avoid edible flowers.
Never use pesticides or any other chemicals on plants and flowers you are going to eat or use as garnishes.
NEVER EAT arum, azalea, clematis, daffodil, foxglove, hyacinth, hydrangea, sweet pea, lily-of-the-valley, lupin, oleander or wisteria. They are toxic in a range that goes from mildly poisonous to deadly.
Kay Montgomery, Saturday Star