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same species, dozens of cultivars
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reveling in full-on flower
It’s easy, if you’re not a botanizing freak, to be shocked by the sudden appearance of fruit on a plant where there were recently pretty flowers. Or, perhaps, to not even realize the post-flower structures are indeed fruits — the swollen, fertilized ovaries of a flower — protecting the seeds inside. We are so used to seeing plump grocery store oranges, strawberries, and avocados that many of us understandably fail to recognize this stage in a plant’s life cycle if not under the florescent lights of the produce section. But fall is a great time to pay attention when you’re outside — in the garden, in the wild, in the cracks of sidewalks — to how flowers have transformed into fruits. Pollination has occurred,
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petals are like.....
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....perky boobs....
thanks usually to an insect or bird, and the pollen (the male part) has connected with the ovary (the female part), resulting in successful fertilization. Typically the petals then start to wither, as they are of no more use to attract pollinators with their color, scent, markings, or shape, so why waste the energy?
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....not so much of a biological imperative after reproductive success.
This is when the next stage of the plant’s life cycle takes precedence, and when you can find some really unique and beautiful fruits which, I think, are sometimes even more stunning than the flowers were. The other day, while walking along the Coastal Trail on the western, ragged edge of San Francisco, I noticed the nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) were fruiting. Though certainly not the most amazing example of a fetching fruit, they are such a common and familiar flower that they’re easy to notice if you just start looking. See?:
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things to note: again, the lifeless petals, the no-longer-necessary stamens, the already-done-its-job stigma at the end of the ripening green fruit
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see the tiny fruit forming in the center?
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all-you-can-pick Tropaeolum fruits!
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everywhere you see a green, three-parted fruit there used to be a bright nasturtium blossom
Many people know of this flower’s edibility. It’s a bright and whimsical addition to salads; I used to buy a big bag of mixed greens at the Santa Cruz Farmer’s Market with sunburst nasturtiums and periwinkle borage stars sprinkled in it, and it made those salad-subsisting college years much more interesting. Its taste, for those who haven’t indulged roadside nibblings or experimental salads? Peppery. It has a heat and spiciness reminiscent of watercress and, actually, this association is where nasturtium‘s common name is derived. It produces an oil similar to an oil in watercress, and watercress is in the Nasturtium genus (though the two plants are botanically unrelated — pretty confusing, I know).
Perhaps you’ve gleaned the drops of nectar languishing at the bottom of the golden nectar spur:
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tear off the tip of this spur and suck out the sweetness
But again, go beyond the flower. All parts of Tropaeolum majus are edible, and even mildly medicinal. The large, round, shield-shaped leaves with the stem attached to the center (this leaf shape is called “peltate” in plant I.D. geek terms) are reported to have anti-microbial properties. The unripe seed pods can be pickled with hot vinegar to make a condiment or garnish reminiscent of capers, and these are high in Vitamin C. As far as wildcrafting goes: Nasturtiums are an escaped garden cultivar, native to South and Central America, and though they aren’t necessarily destructively invasive, they have naturalized in the wild. So I say, as long as there aren’t dogs peeing or junkies leaving needles around (or peeing, for that matter), pick away!
Nasturtium Pesto
*from Marion Owen, author and organic fertilizer innovator*
Into a food processor or blender, put the following ingredients and process till smooth:
4 cups packed nasturtium leaves
3 to 5 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
2 drops Tabasco
1 cup walnuts
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Look, it worked! A much milder flavor than I'd expected.
Should you desire this wild weed to become a kitchen staple, here are a few more recipes, including one for stuffed nasturtiums and another for nasturtium lemon butter.
