Whats edible and whats not

[soobeth]

I love freebs and i would like a list of what things are edible and what things i can do with them also are nasturtauin leaves edible??????

[burnie]

Hi soobeth,
if you can get hold of "the river cottage year" book by hugh fearnley-whittingstall he lists all the wild stuff and when it's in season. Includes fungi, fruits,flowers etc.

[nick the grief]

you can put the seeds into white wine vinegar & use them as a substitute for capers.

Couple of sites that may be of interest

http://www.countrylovers.co.uk/wildfoodjj/

http://www.wildmanwildfood.co.uk/

[Earthbabe]

There are also a couple of good books by Richard Mabey.

Don't know about the nasturtium leaves. You can use the flowers in salads and the like and I think its the seed pods that can be pickled as a substitute for capers. (Sorry NTG!)

The guiding rule when picking wild stuff is if you aren't sure exactly what it is, don't pick it. There are some things that can't be picked because they are protected by law so best to check somewhere first.

[nick the grief]

.....I think its the seed pods that can be pickled as a substitute for capers. (Sorry NTG!).

Don't be sorry Earthbabe, I've no idea what you'd use a caper for anyway !!

[Alice]

Hello Soobeth, as far as I know Nasturium leaves, flowers and seeds are edible. All you have to do is taste them and see if you like them. I don't find them palatable myself.A lot of things are perfectly edible, but not generally eaten because they taste horrible. On a different note, the seeds from your nasturiums will grow perfectly well for you next year if you dry them off and store in a cool place till spring. I have been gathering mine today.

[Earthbabe]

Capers are the small green bud things you occasionally find on pizzas or in certain pasta sauces. A trip to a supermarket and a walk down the appropriate aisle will clear that one up ntg

[silver8]

If you like Rocket you will probably like nastursum leaves.I stopped growing rocket after tasting them.Much easier to grow and very prolific. Just chop and mix with salad to give it a kick. Likewise with the flowers and pods. Great companian plant as well, flowers all the way to the first frost,and gives you plenty of material for the compost bin. All in all a great value plant.

[Snadger]

If you like Rocket you will probably like nastursum leaves.I stopped growing rocket after tasting them.Much easier to grow and very prolific. Just chop and mix with salad to give it a kick. Likewise with the flowers and pods. Great companian plant as well, flowers all the way to the first frost,and gives you plenty of material for the compost bin. All in all a great value plant.

Couldn't agree more! The problem with mine is I planted a dwarf variety among my cabbages but for some reason its grown 2'-0" high and I can't find the cabbages any more!!!!

[Sug]

Pickled capers with lamb instead of mint sauce (delicious).

[JennieAtkinson]

Soobeth - I grow nasturtiums for the garden, but have one from Sarah Raven (red flower) that has a lovely pepper taste and the leaves are perfect for adding to salads when they are young. I only bought one packet of seeds about 4 years ago, and harvest seeds each year from the growing plant to grow the next year. So it works out almost a freebie!