Are nasturtium flowers edible? Yes, they are. In fact, you can use different parts of the plant to elevate your regular dishes. So, if you have nasturtium edible flowers in your garden, it’s time you use them in cooking and garnishing.
Did you know that these flowers are rich in iron, zinc, and copper? Also, they are packed with micronutrients like calcium and phosphorus.
So, these flowers are wonderful fusions of taste, beauty, and health. Don’t you agree? Let’s explore how we can use them in many ways.
Contents
Best Ways To Use Nasturtium Edible Flowers In Cooking And Garnishing
You can easily grow nasturtium flowers in your garden. You will also find dried petals of nasturtium in the Whole Foods edible flowers collection.
Once you have the flowers, you can use them in a wide range of dishes, from salads to cakes. Here, I have curated some of the most common methods of using nasturtium edible flowers.
Nasturtium Edible Flowers For Cake
You can use nasturtium edible flowers in two ways for cakes. You can use dried and crushed petals of these flowers in making the cake.
These flowers have a peppery flavor. So, adding them to the cake will elevate its taste profile and add the much-needed zing. For peppery flavor in cakes, you can also use nasturtium leaves.
Nasturtium flowers come in many shades, including bright red, yellow, and orange. You can use these petals for garnishing cakes.
Nasturtium Dried Edible Flowers For A Peppery Twist To Your Salad
Does your salad taste bland? You can give it a twist by adding some dried and dehydrated nasturtium flowers. You can also use the dried leaves of nasturtium for your salad.
Further, you can just mix the dried metals and leaves with other veggies in the salad. Otherwise, you can use nasturtium vinaigrette to dress your salad.
These flowers taste great with a wide range of veggies. You can use them with eggplants, tomatoes, squash, French beans, and pumpkins.
Nasturtium Flower Pesto
You must love your pasta in pesto sauce. Why not add some peppery zing to the rich sauce, having basil and olive oil? The peppery flavor of nasturtium edible flowers and leaves will balance and add a distinct character to the creaminess of the sauce, coming from parmesan cheese and pine nuts.
Now, pound all the ingredients together in your grinder and make the best pesto sauce for your pasta.
You will surely love this new twist to your favorite Italian delicacy.
Nasturtium Capers
You can use nasturtium seeds along with the flowers. Among all the elements of nasturtium plants, the seeds have the strongest peppery flavor. Further, if you love pickled vegetables, you will surely love these capers.
These capers are easy to make. You just need some vinegar, water, sea salt, sugar, and any herb of your choice to make these capers.
Nasturtium Hot Sauce
Are you looking for a spicy condiment for your favorite snack? Why not give nasturtium hot sauce a try?
You can make this hot sauce at home with nasturtium buds and flowers, jalapeno peppers, vinegar, sumac seeds, sea salt, brown sugar, and chopped garlic.
This sauce is hot and flavorful. Also, it can elevate the taste of any savory dish. Trust me!
Nasturtium Butter
Do you want to add a twist to regular butter? Crush some dried nasturtium flower petals and add to the butter. These flowers will add a peppery flavor to the butter.
Also, there will be a subtle sweetness in the butter coming from the nasturtium flowers. This butter will taste excellent with bread toast, and you can also add some cream with the butter and nasturtium flower mix and make a condiment for snacks.
It can be an excellent and more pocket-friendly substitute for spicy mayo dips.
Nasturtium Bread Rolls
Are you baking fresh bread at home? It’s time to make your lunchtime special by adding some nasturtium flowers and leaves to your bread dough. The kids in your house will love these nasturtium bread rolls because of the peppery flavor and beautiful touch of colors.
Once the bread rolls are baked, you can brush some honey on them to add some glaze. Also, you can melt nasturtium butter and brush it on the bread rolls to make them more flavorful.
Now that you know of many ways to use nasturtium edible flowers, I will discuss how to use hibiscus in your food.
Are Hibiscus Flowers Edible?
Yes, hibiscus flowers are edible. You must be familiar with hibiscus tea and its medicinal properties. Having hibiscus tea instead of usual tea or coffee helps you to carb your caffeine intake.
However, you can also use hibiscus flowers in your food. Here is a brief account of how you can use this beautiful flower in many drinks and food dishes.
These flowers are also packed with antioxidants and are excellent for your liver and immune system. They are also great for skin and hair.
If you love hibiscus tea, you can add some to your favorite citrus fruit juice. Trust me! You will have the most refreshing experience as you gulp the drink with a few cubes of ice.
Further, you can make a hibiscus sauce to serve with delicacies like coconut and chocolate sheet cake. Why not make your favorite tart or cupcake more interesting with some exquisite lemon and hibiscus cream?
Now, it’s time for the biggest surprise. Did you know that you could make the most brilliant recipe of lamb leg with dried hibiscus flowers used in marination?
However, if you consider versatility, nasturtium is a more versatile edible flower than hibiscus, as the latter has limited usage in food.
Summing Up
Nasturtium edible flowers can be used in many ways. You can use them in savory and sweet dishes because of their unique peppery flavor. Along with nasturtium flowers, you can also use the seeds and leaves of this plant for cooking and garnishing.
Do you like any of the ideas of using nasturtium flowers in your kitchen, or do you know of any other way of using these edible and spicy flowers?
Don’t forget to share!
Also read
What's your reaction?
