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Edible plants

Lisa_Perry75

Member
Joined
17 Oct 2007
Messages
777
Location
Southampton
Hi Guys,

This follows on from Steves thread about spring pictures really. I like to devote most of the space in my garden to edible and useful plants. I remember watching some tv programs that mention a few edible plants or flowers and I wondered what plants or flowers other people know are edible?

I am growing rosemary, basil, oregano, marjoram, sage, chives, garlic chives, sunflowers, tomatoes, peppers, sweetcorn, mangetout, marigolds and lettuce. As far as I am aware for each of these listed the whole plant is edible.

Ideally I am looking for other flowers (like marigolds) that are edible.
 
Flowers,
Borage, Courgette, Globe Artichoke, Dahlia. I think Tomatoes/Capsicum/Chilli Pepper leaves are likely to be inedible or possibly even toxic.

Fruit,
Duke of Argyll's Tea tree (Lycium chinense) now famous as the "Goji berry". Mahonia and Berberis species (ready now) and Fuchsia.

cheers Darrel
 
Ooh I have no idea luis! I can think of only one, watercress :lol:

So far I've also found:-
Nasturtium - leaves and flowers
Pansy and Viola - flowers
Rose petals - petals with the white heel removed (???) and the fruit of the rose plant, called rose hip
Thistle - flowers
Daisy - flowers
Sugar snap pea- flowers
Sweet pea?
St Johns Wort - flowers
Sweet rocket - flowers
Echinacea - would like more info on this one (which bits and which variety etc)
Evening primrose - flowers
Calendula - flowers
Holyhock - flowers
Elderberry - flowers
Gladiolas - flowers
Chrysanthemums - flowers
Geraniums - flowers
Jasmine - flowers
Dandelions - all
Stinging nettles - maybe not on my first try lol
Honeysuckle - flowers but berries are poisonous
Gladiolus - flowers
Lilac - flowers
Primrose - flowers
Snapdragon - flowers

Any chance you could confirm or deny these Darrel?
 
Great list.. :)

Dandelions are indeed good, I have also tried them this past weekend, picked them up at the public garden, gave them a good wash and had them raw.. They would go nice on a salad.
 
There's a RHS book called "The edible plot" that has a section all about small scale plants that are perfect for growing on balconies and in pots. I grow potatoes in a bucket here at uni and that works a charm. If it's flowers you want to eat then there's a lot of them out there but they tend to be used soley as garnishes and decoration, flowers have a habit of being distasteful so they get to be pollinated without being eaten.
 
Hi all,
I think they are mainly all right Nettles you definitely eat this time of year, I'm not sure about Sweet Pea as the seeds are poisonous, and I've sucked the nectar out of Honeysuckle flowers when I was a kid.

Lisa's long list has set me thinking, and there is actually a database of plant species and their uses.
"Plants For A Future is a resource centre for rare and unusual plants, particularly those which have edible, medicinal or other uses."

http://www.pfaf.org/index.php

cheers Darrel
 
Brilliant thanks Darrel :) I'll look at the link in a bit more depth later on. Better get myself to work, running a tad late...
 
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