Alpine Strawberry
White flowers turn into intensely
sweet small strawberries hiding among the leaves. Fab kids
treasure hunt! Pick & eat fresh when berries are red all over.
Sustainable harvesting tip: remove dead stalks & leaves at base
to encourage regrowth.
sweet small strawberries hiding among the leaves. Fab kids
treasure hunt! Pick & eat fresh when berries are red all over.
Sustainable harvesting tip: remove dead stalks & leaves at base
to encourage regrowth.
Asparagus Fronds
These are sunlight collectors that strengthen the asparagus roots
or more asparagus spears next spring. Asparagus plants can last
15 years.
or more asparagus spears next spring. Asparagus plants can last
15 years.
Calendula Officionalis
(the variety of Marigold used in herbal medicine)
Yellow petals are edible & can be sprinkled through salad
or dried for use in herb tea. Sustainable harvesting tip:
Clip flowerhead off above nearest stem branch to keep bushy.
Yellow petals are edible & can be sprinkled through salad
or dried for use in herb tea. Sustainable harvesting tip:
Clip flowerhead off above nearest stem branch to keep bushy.
Capsicum
Can be eaten green or when it ripens to red.
Crunchy fresh and sliced into salad, or quickly
steam/panfry to soften if adding to omelette/frittata.
Whole capsicums can also be cored and stuffed with
savoury filling (eg steamed quinoa with chopped herbs,
wild garlic leaves, toasted sunflower seeds and sultanas)
before baking in the oven.
Crunchy fresh and sliced into salad, or quickly
steam/panfry to soften if adding to omelette/frittata.
Whole capsicums can also be cored and stuffed with
savoury filling (eg steamed quinoa with chopped herbs,
wild garlic leaves, toasted sunflower seeds and sultanas)
before baking in the oven.
Chilli
Chives
Mild onion-flavoured cylindrical leaves can be harvested at ground level and chopped to garnish salads, soups, savoury dishes
Common Mint
Pick this as much as you like to stop it taking over the garden!!
Rinse and use for herb tea by infusing in just-boiled water.
Make a delicious cooling dip by mixing through plain yoghurt with
finely sliced cucumber and chopped wild garlic leaves or chives.
For a zingy 'afterdinner mint' fresh from the garden, chomp on a
large mint leaf wrapped round a very small stevia ('sugar herb') leaf
Rinse and use for herb tea by infusing in just-boiled water.
Make a delicious cooling dip by mixing through plain yoghurt with
finely sliced cucumber and chopped wild garlic leaves or chives.
For a zingy 'afterdinner mint' fresh from the garden, chomp on a
large mint leaf wrapped round a very small stevia ('sugar herb') leaf
French Sorrel
Delicious lemony flavoured leaves...pick from base of stalk
Add torn bits of leaf to salads...or check out traditional
French Sorrel Soup recipes
Add torn bits of leaf to salads...or check out traditional
French Sorrel Soup recipes
French Tarragon
Aniseed-tinged taste somewhere between basil & fennel.
Trim a finger-length section to nearest fork in stem
to keep plant nice and bushy. Delicious addition when
poaching chicken or fish. Tasty garnish for salads,
omelettes, soup. Plant starts dying back in autumn
(good time to trim back to 3 or four 'branches'
and airdry rest for winter use) Regrows early summer
Trim a finger-length section to nearest fork in stem
to keep plant nice and bushy. Delicious addition when
poaching chicken or fish. Tasty garnish for salads,
omelettes, soup. Plant starts dying back in autumn
(good time to trim back to 3 or four 'branches'
and airdry rest for winter use) Regrows early summer
Garlic Chive Flower
Edible flower can be added to salads or used as garnish
(or left to form seeds to self-sow more garlic chives)
Chop long flat leaves of garlic chives through salads/salad
dressing or used as garnish on clear soups for garlic flavour.
Sustainable harvesting tip: cut at base of flower stem or leaf
to encourage regrowth
(or left to form seeds to self-sow more garlic chives)
Chop long flat leaves of garlic chives through salads/salad
dressing or used as garnish on clear soups for garlic flavour.
Sustainable harvesting tip: cut at base of flower stem or leaf
to encourage regrowth
Lawn Chamomile
Calming aromatic barefoot-friendly groundcover.
Small white flowers can be picked from base of stem
and used fresh or dried for chamomile tea
Small white flowers can be picked from base of stem
and used fresh or dried for chamomile tea
Lemon Verbena
Loves a regular trim: use leaves fresh or dried to make
a refreshing, fragrant herb tea: pop a few leaves in a cup,
pour boiling water over them & allow to infuse for 5 mins
before drinking straight or with a drizzle of honey.
a refreshing, fragrant herb tea: pop a few leaves in a cup,
pour boiling water over them & allow to infuse for 5 mins
before drinking straight or with a drizzle of honey.
Mallow
Quoted as an edible weed in the excellent publication
"Edible Weeds of Melbourne" available at CERES nursery
& reception www.ceres.org.au
In the background is purslane, also an edible weed
covered in the above book
"Edible Weeds of Melbourne" available at CERES nursery
& reception www.ceres.org.au
In the background is purslane, also an edible weed
covered in the above book
Nasturtium
Sweet/peppery-tasting young leaves can be picked close
to main stem...use leaves, buds and flowers in salads.
to main stem...use leaves, buds and flowers in salads.
Opal Basil
Pinch a section above stem branch and use leaves
the same way you'd use green basil leaves:
perfect partner for tomatoes and soft cheeses
or tear leaves and mix through salads.
Also in pic (mid-left) is fine-leaved wild rocket:
lovely sweet-mustardy-tasting garnish or inclusion
in leafy green salads.
the same way you'd use green basil leaves:
perfect partner for tomatoes and soft cheeses
or tear leaves and mix through salads.
Also in pic (mid-left) is fine-leaved wild rocket:
lovely sweet-mustardy-tasting garnish or inclusion
in leafy green salads.
Parsley
Sustainable harvesting tip: pick whole stalk from the base to encourage regrowth so there's more for next time.
High in potassium, parsley can be chopped through salad
or in yoghurt with cucumber & mint for a cooling tsatsiki dip
Other popular uses include Parsley Tea (pour boiling water
into a teapot of stalks/leaves/seedheads, steep for 5 mins)
and Tabouleh Salad(finely chopped parsley, tomato, chives, cooked cooled cracked wheat or quinoa with lemon juice)
Purslane
An edible weed now used by hip chefs...eat in moderation, but good
sprinkled over goats cheese with chives & jewel-like pomegranate 'seeds'.
Pyrethrum Daisy
No its not edible!...its there to confuse insect pests
sense of smell to minimise their garden visits!
Red Lollo Lettuce
The glamourous Gina Lollobrigita of the lettuce clan!
Harvest outer leaves from the base so there's some for next
time...or if already starting to grow tall in the centre,
snapping 'stem' at base will cause resprouting...or leave
to form seedhead of fluffy flowers that self-sow: fave
lazy gardeners trick ;)
Pepino Flowers
become delicious melon-flavoured fruit hidden among
the foliage. Fruit can be from eggsize to baseball size,
only ripen on the plant, and (apart from thin tough skin)
are ready to eat when pale yellow...sometimes with faint
purplish stripes (same shade as flowers)
the foliage. Fruit can be from eggsize to baseball size,
only ripen on the plant, and (apart from thin tough skin)
are ready to eat when pale yellow...sometimes with faint
purplish stripes (same shade as flowers)
Pink Freckles Lettuce
Quirky variety beloved by plant breeders. Sustainable harvesting tip:pick one or two outer leaves from the base of a few different lettuces so there's more for next time.
Purple King Beans
Purple King climbing beans are delicious - eat raw
when young and tender...or steam/boil them: kids love
to see them turn from purple to green as they cook ;)
When they're big, flat and tough (the beans, not the kids!)
dry the seeds inside for winter soups or replant next spring
when young and tender...or steam/boil them: kids love
to see them turn from purple to green as they cook ;)
When they're big, flat and tough (the beans, not the kids!)
dry the seeds inside for winter soups or replant next spring
Purslane
An edible weed now used by hip chefs...eat in moderation, but good
sprinkled over goats cheese with chives & jewel-like pomegranate 'seeds'.
Pyrethrum Daisy
No its not edible!...its there to confuse insect pests
sense of smell to minimise their garden visits!
Red Lollo Lettuce
The glamourous Gina Lollobrigita of the lettuce clan!
Harvest outer leaves from the base so there's some for next
time...or if already starting to grow tall in the centre,
snapping 'stem' at base will cause resprouting...or leave
to form seedhead of fluffy flowers that self-sow: fave
lazy gardeners trick ;)
Rosemary
Warming, aromatic herb good for circulation & memory.
Great with roasted vegies, bbq'd meat. Use in soup stocks
or throat-soothing tea of rosemary, sage, cinnamon & honey.
Sustainable harvesting tip: encourage bushiness by clipping
at nearest stem junction
Great with roasted vegies, bbq'd meat. Use in soup stocks
or throat-soothing tea of rosemary, sage, cinnamon & honey.
Sustainable harvesting tip: encourage bushiness by clipping
at nearest stem junction
Silver Curry Bush
Snow Pea
Snowpea...yummy snack straight from the plant, added
to salad, wokked as a last minute addition to stirfries,
or dropped into clear soups late enough to stay crunchy
to salad, wokked as a last minute addition to stirfries,
or dropped into clear soups late enough to stay crunchy
Stevia or Sugar Herb
Leaves are about 200 times sweeter than sugar...try a tiny tip leaf
wrapped in a much larger mint leaf for a zingy mouth freshener
wrapped in a much larger mint leaf for a zingy mouth freshener
Sunflower
Puts a smile on the faces of bypassers! Once bees have collected
the pollen, centre of flower forms seeds loved by birds. Seeds
are ready to harvest once dry/hard: save some to replant next Nov/Dec
or if you're patient enough to crack the hard cases, sunflower seeds
make nutritious sprouts or toast them & sprinkle over cereal or salad.
the pollen, centre of flower forms seeds loved by birds. Seeds
are ready to harvest once dry/hard: save some to replant next Nov/Dec
or if you're patient enough to crack the hard cases, sunflower seeds
make nutritious sprouts or toast them & sprinkle over cereal or salad.
Tasmanian Mountain Pepper
Slowgrowing bushfood that needs to get a bit bigger
before using dried and powdered leaf instead of pepper.
before using dried and powdered leaf instead of pepper.
Warrigal Greens/NZ Spinach
Use in moderation: the tender young leaves of this rambling
bushfood first need to be quickly blanched in just-boiled water
to reduce the strong/bitter taste, but can then be drained
and cooked as you would any other spinach..For a lovely flavour
combo, try it pan-tossed with garlic & olive oil, then served
with a dash of mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine vinegar)
bushfood first need to be quickly blanched in just-boiled water
to reduce the strong/bitter taste, but can then be drained
and cooked as you would any other spinach..For a lovely flavour
combo, try it pan-tossed with garlic & olive oil, then served
with a dash of mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine vinegar)
WonBok or Chinese Cabbage Harvest mature outer leaves from base so new leaves keep
growing. Crunchy texture perfect to shred into salads,
coleslaw, stirfry, steam or add at last minute
to clear Asian-style soups
coleslaw, stirfry, steam or add at last minute
to clear Asian-style soups
(see excellent 'CabFab Salad' recipe in January blogposts)
