Food & Drink

5 Uses for Nasturtiums & A Simple Cookie Recipe

July 20, 2014

5 Uses for NasturtiumsI’ve been a fan of nasturtiums (Tropaeolum minor) ever since we began growing our own food. They make such a colourful addition to the vegetable patch, plus they’re edible and importantly for us as gardeners who choose not to use artificial chemicals, they make great companion plants.

Nasturtium cookie recipeThis year we have more than ever growing in a small area of the polytunnel. When I was sowing seeds this springtime I ran out of compost so rather than wait, I popped several nasturtium seed pods directly into the soil with the intention of replanting them outside once they’d germinated and the risk of frost had passed. I never got around to it and we are now blessed with a glorious display of flowers that are attracting all kinds of pollinating insects inside.

As a result of this unexpected crop, I’ve being doing a bit of research and have not only found several uses for nasturtiums, I also managed to create a quick and simple cookie recipe using their petals as a flavouring. First up, here’s a few uses for nasturtiums if you have them growing in your garden:

5 Uses for NasturtiumsFive Uses for Nasturtiums:

1. Companion planting

Our number one reason for growing them in the vegetable garden, nasturtiums make fantastic companion plants. They’re often referred to as sacrificial plants as insects are so attracted to them. Cabbage white butterflies will often lay their eggs on the leaves and the baby caterpillars hatch, eating the nasturtiums and not your kale or broccoli. Nasturtiums also attract blackfly (that like to feed upon broad bean flowers) but thankfully hoverfly like the nasturtiums colourful petals too and their larvae will feed on the little black aphids.

2. A Source of Vitamins

The fresh leaves of nasturtiums are a good source of iron and vitamin C and because they’re edible can be added to salads, though as in the case of many herbs, should be treated with slight caution – guidelines suggest you should never eat more than 15g of leaves at a time or no more than 30g per day.

3. Beauty Benefits

Folklore suggests that nasturtiums are good for treating hair loss. A ‘tea’ can be made by soaking a cup full of flowers in a jug (litre) of hot water which is allowed to cool, before straining and the ‘tea’ massaged into the scalp before rinsing. It acts as a stimulant which is said to encourage new hair growth.

5 Uses for Nasturtiums4. Floral Gifts

The nasturtium flower carries a significant meaning and according to the anniversary flower list, they are associated with the 40th Wedding Anniversary and carry the meaning conquest, patriotism, victory and impetuous love!

5. Culinary Uses. There are several recipes available using nasturtiums. From a cream cheese dip (100g cream cheese, 2 tblsp chopped nasturtium leaves and three flowers mixed together) to pesto and substitute capers. We made some jars of ‘capers’ last year using the seed pods during the community garden project, selling them at the community garden stall at Savour Kilkenny Food Festival and I can confirm, they were very firey indeed!

If you’d like to try cooking with nasturtiums, here’s a very quick and simple chewable cookie recipe that uses the flowers to spice up the biscuits as opposed to the usual biscuit flavourings of cinnamon or ginger.

Nasturtium Cookie RecipeNasturtium Cookie Recipe

Makes about 25 (more if you make the cookie balls smaller)

Preheat oven to 160ºC, Gas 3, 325°F

125g/4oz golden syrup
75g/3oz butter
50g/2oz caster sugar
1 tablespoon chopped nasturtium flowers
Half teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
225g/8oz self-raising flour

Place all the ingredients except the flour into a saucepan, heat gently and stir until melted and combined.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir the flour into the mixture.

Roll the cookie dough into balls about half the size of golf balls and place onto lined and greased baking trays, leaving a space of about five centimeters between each one (if you want perfect cookies or closer if you don’t mind them all joining up as in the photo above) Cook for ten minutes in the pre-heated oven.

Leave on the baking trays for a few minutes to firm up, sprinkling a few shredded nasturtium petals on top. Remove from the trays and leave on wire trays to cool.

Nasturtium Cookie Recipe

If you try making them, I’d love to hear how the cookies went down with everyone. My family tried them with faces full of suspicion which quickly changed to smiles of pleasure!

Do you grow nasturtiums in your garden and use them in the kitchen or had any success with them as companion plants?

 

 

11 Comments

  • Reply Naomi July 20, 2014 at 3:20 pm

    Lovely post, I didn’t know about the hair loss treatment

    • Reply greensideupveg July 20, 2014 at 4:29 pm

      Thanks, let me know if you try out the cookies at all. My children think I’m bonkers putting flowers in biscuits 😉

      • Reply Naomi July 20, 2014 at 8:32 pm

        My kids are OK with it since I let them make lavender icecream 😉

        • Reply greensideupveg July 20, 2014 at 10:03 pm

          Mine are getting used to it but when presented with the plate, there was a rolling of eyes and a “can’t you bake anything normal Mum”.. they’re coming around though as they had to admit to enjoying these 🙂

  • Reply Lorna July 24, 2014 at 10:44 pm

    I like nasturiums too but don’t have any this year. What did it actually taste like?

    • Reply greensideupveg July 25, 2014 at 1:41 am

      They were kindof gingery Lorna. There was definitely a flavour to them and they were the only ingredient that could have supplied it 🙂

  • Reply Mary Kennedy July 26, 2014 at 12:44 am

    This is my first time reading your blog. Enjoyed it and will be a regular reader from now on. I have nasturiums growing and they are so colourful in salads. Didn’t know about their effect on aphids. So thats what saved the roses as well. Love your blog and congrats to you and Susan on your new venture.

    • Reply greensideupveg July 26, 2014 at 7:22 pm

      Mary thanks so much for that and for taking the time to comment. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed reading the blog and that it might help with a few tips and hints 🙂

  • Reply Kat October 18, 2016 at 7:58 am

    What a bizarre idea. Had to try it. My 8 yo was disgusted at the thought but we went ahead anyway. Quite nice actually.

    • Reply Dee Sewell October 31, 2016 at 8:05 am

      Sometimes we just have to try things. Glad you enjoyed it!

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