10 Edible Leaves and Flowers for the summer
In August, every lettuce in the Algarve has given up. But walk through the Orchard and lunch is still growing — on trees, shrubs and flowers. Here are ten of them, served with fork and knife.
1. Moringa (Moringa oleifera)
Leaves with a gentle peppery bite, like rocket. Eat them fresh in salads, or cook them like spinach. The flowers are edible too.
2. Chinese toon (Toona sinensis)
A tree whose young leaves taste of onion and garlic. In China, toon leaves scrambled with eggs is a beloved spring classic.
3. Daylily (Hemerocallis)
Crunchy, sweet petals. Scatter them over a salad, or cook the flower buds like green beans — Chinese cuisine has done it for centuries.
4. Carne de pobre — “meat for the poor” (Pereskia aculeata)
A cactus with real leaves — and you can eat them. Mild and tender, they melt into soups and stews. In Brazil, they are a kitchen staple.
5. Kaffir lime (Citrus hystrix)
The most perfumed leaf in the citrus family. Tear one into a Thai curry or soup and the whole dish changes.
6. Saltbush (Atriplex halimus)
Leaves that come pre-salted by the plant itself. Fry them crisp or toss them in a salad — no salt cellar needed. And it grows on almost no water.
7. Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii)
Nothing to do with curry powder. Fry a few leaves in hot oil and a nutty, citrusy perfume fills the kitchen — the opening note of countless Indian dishes.
8. Lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora)
Perhaps the purest lemon scent in the plant world. Fresh or dried, it makes a wonderful infusion and lifts any fruit salad.
9. Society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea)
Leaves and pink flowers with a mild garlic taste. The flowers turn a plain salad into something beautiful.
10. Cranberry hibiscus (Hibiscus acetosella)
Deep burgundy leaves with a pleasant sour tang, like sorrel. A few young leaves bring colour and acidity to a summer salad.
Always identify a plant with certainty before tasting. This information is educational only.
Most of these plants grow in our garden — come and meet them in person on a self-guided tour.
This article was written by Miguel COTTON — the Orchard’s founder. If you have any questions or suggestions, do not hesitate to contact us. miguel@orchardofflavours.com