Friday 16 May 2008

Garden Plants to Use in Salads


Photo: jciv


Bored with the same old salad? Why not take a look in the garden and see if there’s anything there you can add to make it a bit more interesting?

Here’s a list of stuff that you can use:

  • Chickweed: Grow profusely in most gardens, especially if the soil’s moist. The leaves are tasty and definitely add interest to the salad.

  • Chives: Sew some seeds in a pot and you’ll soon have enough to add to salads all summer. These have an onion like taste.

  • Clover: Who doesn’t have that growing in the lawn? Both the leaves and the flowers can be used in salads and taste vaguely of honey.

  • Nasturtiums: Again, use both the flowers and the leaves. Have a peppery taste.

  • Pansies: Yes, the flowers are edible! And they certainly add colour to the salad as well as being a talking point.

  • Wild Garlic: Use fresh, young leaves.

  • Dandelion: Only use the young leaves – mature leaves are bitter! Dandelion leaves will actually help flush out toxins in the body.

There are probably more but they’re the ones I know about. Maybe you know of more?

Not only will they make your salad more interesting, they’re also as frugal as you can get… FREE!

Sharon J

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6 comments:

Richard said...

French for dandelion is pissenlit, literally "wet the bed". Its detox properties are due to it being a very efficient diuretic.

Anonymous said...

We always called them 'wet the beds' when I was little. I probably 'flush' more than enough as it is but they do taste quite nice.

Nat Yeates said...

I didn't know you could eat clover. Well, as they say, you learn something new each day!

happyhippychick said...

I really ought plant nastutiums again... I love the flowers both to look at and to nibble on

Had my first chives from the garden on Sunday... delicious in a potato salad... next year I'll be using my own potatoes as well, just got to work out how to grow my own mayonnaise now!

Richard said...

We used to suck the nectar out of the little clover trumpets when we were kids.

Sharon J said...

I grow chives too, Rae. Lovely pink flowers in spring and delicious in mash as well as potato salad.

Why not try some clover in a salad this summer, Newleaf? If you do, let me know what you thought, eh?