Adorn with edible flowers

This afternoons harvest: luscious raspberries, strawberries, nasturtium flowers and leaves, rocket flowers and leafs, lollo rosso and all year round lettuce. Salad and fruit bowl straight from the plot to the plate.
I came to discover the joys of edible flowers when I first grew nasturtium in orange, red and yellow. These below are a little wilted from the heat of the sun.

My mother grew some in her garden for the first time about three years ago only for the colour. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that both the leaves and flowers were edible. I tried to encourage my Dad to try a nasturtium flower; he didn’t say anything to me except give me his ggrrr bear look as if to say, ‘I'm a man, I don't eat flowers’.

Not only are they pretty, add vibrant colour and garnish a salad, but some of them do taste good too, the peppery flavour of a delicate nasturtium flower and the cucumber like flavour of borage. Edible flowers are a nice addition to a plain green salad.

Here are a list of some edible flower, please do make sure that the flowers you choose to eat are organically grown and haven’t been sprayed with any pesticides or treated with fertilizers.

Apple Blossoms
Borage flowers
Calendula
Chamomile flowers
Chive flowers
Dandelions
Dill flowers
Forget me nots
Geraniums
Hibiscus
Lavender flowers
Lilacs
Marigolds
Marjoram flowers
Nasturtium
Orange Blossoms
Pansies
Petunias
Primroses
Rocket flowers
Roses
Rosemary flowers
Sage flowers
Squash blossoms
Thyme flowers
Violas
Violets

If you are aware of any other flowers or herb flowers that are edible, please do let me know. Thanks.

Broad bean pilau with mint

This dish is inspired by a Turkish recipe called baklali ve tereotu pilavi (broad bean pilau with dill), except I don’t have any dill. Over the past few weeks, I have been boasting at how wonderful my herb plots are, but the dill I was growing has just withered away by the heat of the sun, so I have had to substitute the dill with mint.

It was still a tasty dish, the flavours of both the mint and the broad beans came through.

Broad bean pilau with mint
Serves 2 – 3
Ingredients
175g long grain rice, washed thoroughly under cold water and drained
250g shelled broad beans
6 tablespoons of butter (for vegan alternative, the butter can be substituted with olive oil)
2 tablespoons of fresh mint, minced finely
250ml water or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Method
In a large pot, add butter and melt, then add mint and rice and swirl to coat in buttery juices. Cook for a couple of minutes. Then pour in the water or stock, seasoned with a little salt if necessary. Stir and then cover the pan and cook over low heat for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid absorbed. Turn of the heat.

Remove the lid, and cover the pan with a clean tea towel, replace the lid and leave it to ‘rest’ for 10 minutes.

Fluff up the pilau with a fork, and serve with natural yogurt or soured cream.

for my followers and readers

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