Nasturtium flowers are beautiful and add artistic flair to your vegetable garden! Plus, the leaves and flowers are edible – they are tasty and a bit spicy, their peppery flavor tastes great when added to salads or as a garnish on any dish. Easy to grow from seeds, direct sow them! They have beautiful edible flowers, leaves and seed pods.
Nasturtiums are also a great companion plant for peppers and tomatoes as they attract beneficial insects and deter some pests in the garden. They are also often planted with zucchini and squash as a trap crop for smaller bugs like aphids and whiteflies, and are known to help to decrease the number of squash bugs. A win-win-win!
Nasturtiums look beautiful in the garden, and are known for their beauty and have been a source of artistic inspiration, particularly for artists like Claude Monet. They have a distinctive shape, color, and growth habit that is just so charming in gardens! So add a little Monet to your garden this summer and direct sow seeds for Nasturtium. You won't regret it.
There are lots of recipes with Nasturtium, here are some ideas:
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Stuffed Nasturtium leaves - make "Dolmas" rolls from the large leaves, stuffed with rice, onions, lemon, mint, parsley, chives, and other ingredients as desired, then simmered in lemon juice and water to cook. YUM!!
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Nasturtium Soup - sauté leeks or onions and garlic, add vegetable broth to bring to a boil, then add nasturtium flowers and leaves to simmer for a few minutes, then add coconut milk or cream and serve!
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Nasturtium Pesto - use with or in place of Basil to create a spicy peppery pesto with nuts, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
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Pickle Nasturtium Seeds to use like Capers! These "poor man's capers" are made with the green immature (not dried) seeds from Nasturtiums, where they are simmered in a brine of vinegar, and salt, then stored in a jar in the brine for use on salads, soups, pastas, you name it!
Order some Nasturtium Seeds today and direct sow them in your garden for some magical beauty that is edible, too!
Find more great companion plant for peppers and tomatoes!
Happy growing!
