Healthy nasturtium for sauces and dips

The nasturtium can refine salads and sauces

01/02/2013

The leaves of nasturtium not only look beautiful in the garden, they taste very delicious and are very healthy. The leaves of the tasty and beneficial plant give sauces, quarks, vegetarian spreads and dips a very special aroma. In addition to the leaves of the nasturtium and the buds are tasty.

The slightly peppery-spicy aroma refines salads, soups and even desserts. The cress can be used very well as an ingredient or decoration. The medicinal plant was currently voted medicinal plant of the year 2013. In addition to a lot of vitamin C, it mainly contains glucosinolates. These give the nasturtium its pungent taste and are converted into mustard oils when consumed in the body by enzymes. These ensure that viruses, bacteria and fungi can not spread further and additionally promote good health. In naturopathy, the nasturtium is used for example for the treatment of respiratory and urinary tract infections.

For seasoning, the plant is suitable for herbal sauces and savory quarks, as the consumer information service "aid" in Bonn announced. The flower buds can also be used for food: „Flower buds can be put into vinegar and used like capers, for example in sauces or for antipasti.“

The nasturtium is sensitive to frost and should therefore always be sown again in the spring. From summer to fall, owners of a garden can admire and harvest the bright yellow-orange to red flowers to use in the healthy kitchen. (Sb)

Also read:
Medicinal Plant 2013: The Great Nasturtium

Image: Dorothea Jacob