Nasturtiums

One of my favorite kinds of flowers is the nasturtium.  They are bright, happy blooms that have cool round leaves and are edible with a mild spicy flavor.  Finally, the ones we planted in our yard are blooming.

The first time I ate a nasturtium was at my parents' home.  My mom likes them too.  They enliven a salad, are pretty frozen in water and then plopped to float in a drink, and they make a fun, fresh table decoration.


This afternoon, I encouraged my son to taste one.  He wasn't terribly impressed.  My nephew ate the rest of it quickly and confidently since he remembered he likes them.


My favorite memory of nasturtiums happened while we were living in Leiston, England.  Leiston is a small village on the east coast of England near the North Sea.  Frequently, my husband and I walked with our baby daughter around the countryside on old footpaths to the abbey ruins and through fields of flowers.  One day, while we walked near the middle of the village, we discovered a beautiful foothpath lined with trees that grew together overhead to make a long, low green tunnel. Wild nasturtium vines with blooming red, yellow, and orange blossoms wove everywhere along the side of the path beneath the trees.  I'd never before seen so many nasturtiums nor seen them growing on vines.  Butterflies, bees, and birds zipped along the flowers and darted in front of us.  Our baby girl toddled ahead trying to catch butterflies while we held hands and walked behind her.  Pure serenity.