Nasturtium

Family - Capuchin. The homeland is tropical America. Plants of nasturtium are mainly annual grasses, there are perennial ones at home. For plants of this family spicy, inherent in all parts of the plant, smell and taste are characteristic. At home, in South America, nasturtiums are important food plants, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds are used for food, and for perennial species - even rhizomes and tubers.

We have the most famous for their decorative qualities nasturtium large and nasturtium small. These are very elegant plants. Some of them have long, clinging or curling stems. The flowers are dominated by yellow, orange and red-brown color. Fruits under maturation are divided into three single-seed fruiting.

In England, from the flowers of nasturtium, vinegar is prepared with a very peculiar taste.

♦ Accommodation. Nasturtium is a thermophilic and photophilous plant, therefore pots or boxes are placed with it on the southern, south-eastern or south-western windows. For the summer they can be put on balconies, open terraces, loggias.

♦ Care. Nasturtium prefers weakly fertilized soils. Watering is moderate. Can not tolerate excess moisture, lime and nitrogen. In droughty time without watering it grows badly and does not bloom. The plant should not be fertilized.

♦ Pests and diseases - aphids, mealy worms, with excess moisture, leaves curl.

♦ Reproduction - by seeds. In the pot in March, 3-4 seeds are planted. Flowering begins 40 to 50 days after emergence and lasts until late autumn. Seeds mature within 40-50 days after flowering. They are collected in green.

Salad

For 100 g of nasturtium leaves take 200 g of potatoes, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of sour cream, dill, salt.

Boil potatoes, peel and cut into pieces. Leave nasturtium leaves, finely chop dill and combine with potatoes, mix, salt, season with sour cream. Put slices of boiled egg from above.

"Capers"

Green young nasturtium fruits are washed, slightly salted and left for a day. Then they are dried and laid out in glass jars with several grains of black pepper and horseradish circles. From above pour in jars of cold boiled vinegar and store in a refrigerator. They serve as a replacement for capers, they are not inferior to them.

The Catholic monastic order, founded in Italy in 1525, is called "Capuchin", the word is derived from the name of the clothes worn by the monks.