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applestar
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Nasturtium leaf and flower chips (made like kale chips)

I was thinking yesterday that I am reaching for snack foods like potato chips WAY too often. Wanting to make a healthy alternative, I was wishing that my kale plants would hurry up and recover from the summer slump -- due to the "big three" pests (cabbage white butterflies, cabbage moths, and harlequin bugs) they are all in a sorry state, but the cold fall temps and near frost temps are ridding them of the pests, and they should bounce back and grow lush until hard freeze.

What could I use In the mean time? Well, I have a huge, lush bed of nasturtiums, with leaves as big as my hands. Peppery pre-flavored leaves -- yeah, they should work, right? Ta-dah! :()

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Lightly coated with EVOO with a few drops of toasted sesame oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.

I tried first batch flat, and it was a disaster -- the tender leaves scorched and were so fragile that it was nearly impossible to pick up. So I started folding/rolling them in thirds and only baking them for 10 minutes at 250°F. Then I transferred them to my dehydrator which doesn't have temp control. The manual says it runs at about 160°F.

Flowers are surprisingly tasty. There's a pocket of nectar that intensified in sweetness after toasting/dehydrating. The tender petals often got stuck on the parchment, but ones that I managed to peel off whole look super. 8)

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While I was gathering the nasturtiums, I walked by the roselle and decided to try some of those as well. So far, the tender young leaves come out better looking. The older leaves look kind of grey and unappetizing. I believe it's also known as "Sour Leaf" Lemony and mouthwatering as you chew. I sprinkled some of them with a little sugar. :wink:

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applestar
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Posts: 30504
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I was looking for more nasturtium recipes and things to do with the nasturtiums since they have recovered from the summer duldrums and the most of the white cabbage butterfly onslaught and are looking lush and delicious right now. I want to harvest them before the fall rains and chill/frost ruin them. So I really wanted to harvest most, only leaving enough for harvesting seeds for next year.

- To my delight, I found this — peppers are also in abundance right now — definitely trying both the red and green hot sauces
Remains of the Garden: Lacto-Fermented Hot Sauce with Nasturtiums
https://nittygrittylife.com/lacto-ferme ... sturtiums/

- Also came across idea to blanch smaller tender leaves in salted boiling water and freeze and use like spinach leaves, as well as freezing unwashed but clean dry fresh largest leaves to wrap with like grape leaves.

- finally, there was an herbalist who was extolling virtues of naturtium as multi-curative. Not sure if I accept all of it, but I think I will make a small batch jar of fresh entire vine - stem, leaves, flowers - vodka tincture to experiment with. 2 - 4 week’s in a dark cupboard, taking out and shaking occasionally, then strained and bottled — Typical tincture stuff. I will try it as anti-viral/anti-bacterial cold and flu remedy to start, along with my elderberry tincture syrup. May also see if it is effective topically for skin rash and such (obviously not for broken skin/wounds).

- after harvesting for these, if I find enough flowerbuds, I might try making pickled flower buds.



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