The Best Way To Garden Is To Put On A Wide Brimmed Hat And With A Hoe In One Hand,
A Cold Drink In The Other Tell Somebody Else Where To Dig!
Every year I get asked about edible flowers of which I have a few and know of a few more. Doing some research I now have a fair list and of course some interesting facts.
The use of flowers in salads, soups, jams, teas, deserts and cocktails has been around since the Roman times and is used widely in Chinese, Middle East and Indian cultures. However not all flowers are edible and one should make sure that the flower they are choosing is in the edible category as some flowers are poisonous and the pollen from some can cause allergic reactions.
Flavours vary from spicy to peppery like the nasturtium to a cucumber like flavour to some like the squash flower that can be sautéed in butter and tastes like artichoke. All flowers that are edible should be picked early in the day when their water content is the highest, gently washed and placed on paper towel then refrigerated soon after until you intend to use them. Be sure to ingest flowers that have not been exposed to pesticides.
Besides the above mentioned plants there is also flowers from the Fuchsias, Apple, Tulip, Dianthus, Chrysanthemum, Yucca, Roses, Peas, Honey Suckle, Begonia, Marigold, Pansy, Clover and the good old Dandelion which also the leaves are tasty in soups or salads. Herb flowers such as Chives, Borage, Cilantro, Sage and Chamomile are also all edible. I also learned that Portulaca is also edible.
Another type of plant that I love to grow and also fascinates many is call Mimosa Pudica. This plant is considered a weed in many tropical countries of South and Central America, Jamaica, Indonesia and other warm areas of Asia. So obviously it likes a hot sun location.
I keep mine outside during the summer and bring it in for the winter. Mimosa or as many call it Magic or Sensitive plant upon touch and at night reacts by collapsing its leaves and stems to a protected position.
This also occurs when herbivores approach startling the animal by this movement and thus leaving it alone. I was also told that in Jamaica it was planted around prisons so if a prisoner were to escape it would be quite easy to see which direction they had gone. Of course as the plant does this at night that would be my suggestion of when to flee.
How this plant does this is quite interesting in a scientific way. When touched the plant reacts by the rapid release of water with special cells at the base of the leaf and stalk. It will reopen within several minutes after this stimulation. This is called Turgor Pressure or Hydrostatic Pressure which has a bearing on the Osmotic flow which occurs in plants, fungi and bacteria.This is thee mechanism of which water flows from an area of low solute concentration to an adjacent area of higher concentration. High cell Turgidity make the cell membrane rigid while low Turgidity makes the membrane flaccid. Thus causing the collapse and then reanimation of the Mimosa leaves. Way to scientific for me but absolutely fascinating to watch. An unusual and pretty house plant that will fascinate your friends and family.
Happy Gardening!
Samantha Nason
BS Ranch & Greenhouses
250 547 6567
sam1nason@gmail.com
