| Flowers, so bright and cheerful, raise your | | | | eye and bring an element of fun to your |
| vibe without even trying. Edible flowers take | | | | table. |
| that energy into the centre of your being, | | | | |
| especially when they also have medicinal | | | | Recipe for a Nasturtium Salad |
| properties like the gorgeous nasturtium. | | | | |
| Their flowers are bright trumpets, heralding | | | | 1 lettuce - iceberg, butter or cossmall bunch |
| sunny days. As children we used to pick the | | | | of nasturtiums - leaves and flowersripe red |
| nasturtium flowers, bite off the point at the | | | | tomatoes |
| back of the flower and suck out the nectar, | | | | |
| the merest fairy sized sip of sweetness. | | | | 1 tablespoon capersfeta cheese |
| | | | |
| The plants grow easily and prolifically from | | | | Decide quantities to your own taste. The |
| seed, tumbling out of planters with abandon, | | | | nasturtium leaves are peppery and the more |
| flowering all shades of fire colours from | | | | you put in the hotter the salad gets. Wash |
| vermilion to ochre. All they need is moisture | | | | and dry the lettuce and tear into the size |
| and not too rich a soil and you're guaranteed | | | | pieces you prefer. Rinse the nasturtium |
| a harvest. Anyone with a herb garden can find | | | | leaves, and tear or chop into rough strips. |
| a space for a few seeds, though if space is | | | | If you're using baby tomatoes halve them, |
| limited confine them to a container or they | | | | chop bigger ones into cubes. Cube the feta |
| will happily tumble over all your other | | | | cheese and sprinkle over the salad with the |
| herbs. | | | | capers. Top with the whole flowers and maybe |
| | | | one or two whole leaves. This peppery, bright |
| Nasturtium flowers make cheerful posies as a | | | | salad is just right to accompany pizza, cold |
| centrepiece for a lunch table, especially if | | | | meats or as a starter on its own. |
| you have planted a mixture of colours, | | | | |
| ranging from gold through bright orange to | | | | The round leaves are a potent medicinal |
| deep fiery red. Arrange them with a few | | | | weapon against sore throats. At the first |
| sprigs of other herbs such as rosemary and | | | | sign of a sore throat, chew on a nasturtium |
| fennel to add some texture, lavender flowers | | | | leaf every two hours. This can sometimes get |
| for contrast and you have an edible, scented | | | | rid of the sore throat altogether, at others |
| bouquet, perfect to take as a gift when you | | | | it just prevents it getting too bad. The |
| visit friends. | | | | leaves have natural anti-bacterial properties |
| | | | and are rich in vitamin C. They can also be |
| The nasturtium's best kept secret though is | | | | made into a tea by infusing a few leaves in a |
| that both the leaves and flowers are edible. | | | | cup of boiling water for five minutes and |
| Their sharp peppery tang lends a bite of | | | | sipped either straight or with the addition |
| interest to salads and can be a real boon to | | | | of a teaspoon of honey. |
| a jaded palate when the shops only offer | | | | |
| bland varieties of lettuce. A few of the | | | | In ancient times in its native Peru the |
| round green nasturtium leaves, that look like | | | | nasturtium was used as a wound disinfectant |
| they could be parasols for mice or fairies, | | | | and taken onto battle fields to be used as a |
| will lift a bland iceberg or butter lettuce | | | | poultice and a disinfectant wash. Not bad for |
| into the realms of designer cooking, their | | | | a pretty garden flower! |
| bright flowers scattered over to delight the | | | | |