Just got back from a camping trip with our bubble. It was so good to be out in the fresh air even if the weather was a little colder and wetter than we had hoped. Before I left I snapped some photos of the garden with particular focus on the flowering vegetables.
When we think of flowers we often think of pristine, formal flower beds or cut flowers in a vase but most vegetables flower, either before fruiting or to produce seeds. Vegetable flowers are just as beautiful as the “real” flowers. Let’s not forget that many “real” flowers are edible too; roses, lavender, violet to name a few.
Flowers turn to fruit
These plants all produce flowers that once pollinated result in fruit or seed pods forming where the flower used to be.
Flowers before harvest
Potatoes form flowers before the potatoes are ready to harvest. They also sometimes get a tomato-like fruit on the stems too as they are related to tomatoes. These fruits cannot be eaten as they are poisonous. Only the potatoes are edible. You need to wait for the flowers and the plants to die back before you harvest your potatoes for the best crop. I do like to sneak a few new potatoes out here and there once the plants are flowering.
Flowers that form seed pods (not for eating or main fruit)
Leeks, onions, spinach, chard, kale, lettuce and more all produce flowers that form seeds once pollinated. Once they start to flower they are usually no longer edible. Leeks and onions get woody. Kale and lettuce get bitter. Spinach doesn’t really form leaves once flowering.
The stem that forms the flower head on leeks, garlic and onions is called a scape. You can cut them off while there is just the young bud and eat them. They are delicious and have a milder flavour of the original plant.
Try them in stir fry, with eggs or in salad. You can also find many recipes for pickled scapes if you have enough to fill a jar or two.
Edible flowers
There are some flowers I grow around the garden and not just in the flower bed. These are nasturtiums, borage and purslane. All of the plant is edible and they also have the added benefit of attracting pollinators, distracting pests, providing shade and in the case of borage, improving the soil.
Borage: eat flowers and leaves, blanch leaves in hot water to remove the hairs. Has a cucumber flavour. Is popular cooked with cabbage, as a tea, or use flowers in salads. Reputed to have many health benefits.
Nasturtium: all parts are edible including the seeds. Has a peppery flavour. Use flowers and leaves in salads. seeds can be pickled and used like capers.
Purslane: a low growing succulent, has a lemon/citrus flavour, use in salads, steam it or put into pesto or chimichurri.
Finally, lets not forget broccoli. The broccoli head we love to eat is actually a mass of flower buds. Leave them too long before harvesting and you get a bouquet of delicate yellow flowers instead.
June harvest
I’ve been asked to show pictures of my harvest. It varies from week to week depending on what is ready and what I need. Broccoli is in full swing at the moment so I picked a lot. Fortunately I can freeze some for later when the plants are finished.
In this picture we have:
- Belgium endive (top left)
- Chard, kale, spinach and corn salad (in the basket)
- Broccoli
- Turnips (bottom left)
- Raspberries (middle, left container)
- Strawberries (middle, right container)
- Radish (front middle)
- Green onions (front middle)
- Celery (front right)
I hope you agree that vegetable flowers are beautiful. Happy gardening.
Stay safe, socially distance and as always, be creative.
The flowers really are lovely, I will look at our vegetable patch in a different way from now on !