Indian Balsam is particularly well-known and feared by many gardeners as a weed. How about gorging yourself on this herb? Is it edible at all?
Balsam flowers and seeds are edible and very tasty
Flowers and seeds are edible
The pink flowers and small, odd-looking seeds of impatiens are edible. This applies to all species. Unlike them, you should not eat the leaves and stems raw. Something else is cooked…
The sweet flowers as an edible decoration
The flowers are present from July. New flowers can form until October or the first frost. Thus, the period from July to October is the collection time for these.
The flowers can be eaten raw. They taste sweet due to their high nectar content. Whether as an edible decoration for dishes, in salads or to prepare a flower jelly - the possible uses are numerous.
The nutty seeds as a snack
Balsam seeds are harvested in autumn. Their taste is slightly nutty. It is vaguely reminiscent of fresh walnuts. If you have a lot of time, you can harvest a lot of seeds and use them as a flour substitute for gluten-free dishes, for example. The seeds are ideal for the following foods:
- muffins
- sponge cake
- pancakes
- Risotto
- Pesto
- patties
Both the mature seeds and the immature (white colored) seeds are edible raw. They also taste delicious when roasted. In this form, they are well suited for muesli or for nibbling between meals.
Leaves - little tasty
While the fresh leaves are slightly poisonous and can cause nausea, the leaves are edible when cooked. For example, they can be prepared like spinach. However, because of the bitter substances and acids they contain, there is little that can be gained in culinary terms.
Thus, the leaves should be viewed more as 'emergency food'. Too bad, because otherwise you would have a good reason to harvest the balsam, which would simplify the fight.
tips
Poisoning, for example from eating too many raw Balsam leaves, can manifest itself in nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, among other things. The body tries to get rid of the toxins it contains.