Less Noise, More Green: Unusual edibles in my edible landscape and how to eat them!

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Unusual edibles in my edible landscape and how to eat them!


Nasturtium Seeds
Edible nasturtium seeds

This post is part of the educational element of the 2015 URI Master Gardener Garden Tour, which my gardens are a part of! The Tour is happening June 20 - 21 and you can find out all the information plus where to buy tickets, HERE.

One of the greatest joys of designing my edible landscape has been discovering new and unusual edible plants and using them in my cooking. Below is a list of plants I currently have in my garden that you may not know are edible, along with how to eat them, and links to recipes using these plants on my blog.

 


Wolf Eyes Kousa Dogwood flowers
Wolf Eyes Kousa Dogwood Berries are edible,

Trees and Shrubs

Wolf Eyes Kousa Dogwood: Use the berry pulp in baking or as a condiment for chicken. 
Recipe: Kousa Dogwood Muffins

Bearberry: Use the berries to make jam.

Lingonberry
Ripening lingonberries

Lingonberries: This berry is not commonly found in New England but can be used like cranberries. They make delicious jam and syrup and are used in traditional Swedish cooking.

BLack Lace Elderyberry flowers
Black Lace Elderberry has dark purple leaves and pink flowers

Black Lace Elderberry: Elder flowers are used in Europe to make Elder Flower Cordial, while the berries make a nutritious and medicinal syrup as well as a delicious jam.
Recipe: Elder Flower Cordial


Flowers 

Edible Flower Petals - try sprinkling them on your next salad!
Batchelor's Buttons

Calendula
Edible calendula petals

Calendula
Nasturtiums 
Lemon Drop and Gem Marigolds
Borage
Bee Balm

Blue Boy Batchelor's Buttons and Bumble Bee
Batchelor's Button petals are edible

Edible Flowers for baking: 
Borage flowers, candied and used as cake decorations
Violas, candied and used on cakes

Honey and Lavender Cookies
Lavender: Press into cookies or sprinkle sparingly on ice cream
Recipes: Honey and Lavender Ice cream, Lavender Cookies 

Sunseed Sunflower Seedheads


Edible Flower Seeds:
Sunseed Sunflower:  Roast and salt the seeds
Recipe: Roasted Sunflower Seeds

Hungarian Bread Poppy


Hungarian Bread Poppies: use the seeds in baking
Nasturtiums: Pickle the seeds and use like capers. 
Recipe:  Poor Man's Capers

What unusual edibles do you have growing in your garden?

Sue 
 

 

4 comments:

  1. Did somebody specify nourishment? It should clearly be a great opportunity to enjoy a reprieve from work and EAT! Nibble time rules! This late spring my diminutive person cherry tree, which becomes outside my composition studio, had the biggest yield of fruits in its twelve-year history. By some marvel, possibly my surly old feline, the winged animals didn't get to them first.

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  2. One of the most interesting and fun things that you can do to your landscaping in Phoenix or the surrounding area, and one that will make your landscape not just textured and interesting, but also unique--is edible landscaping. Edible landscaping is essentially making use of some of the more beautiful plants that also produce--or are--edible products.

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  3. very nice presentation about edibles

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