Nasturtium

Not my photo as you can tell but a good representation

Typical Yellow bloom

Coos liked to hide in them

The seed pods can be pickled to become similar to Capers

Common Name: Nasturtium

Latin Name: Tropaeolum majus L.

Parts used: Flowers, Leaves, Seed Pods

Identification Notes: An annual flowering plant that trails. Flower colors are yellow, orange, red and combinations of the three.

How used: There are some medicinal uses listed such as to help with a cough, taken internally or applied to sore muscles externally but there does not seem to be much documentation to back it up. However it is very edible! The flowers and leaves in a salad add a peppery flavor and you can't deny how cool the flowers look in a salad. The seed pods can be pickled to make something very similar to Capers. I tried it once and, yeah something similar to Capers is right, but I am not an officianodo when it comes to Capers so you be the judge.

Dose: N/A

Document Results: We have used the leaves and flowers many times and we both find them delicious, but G'ganna's daughter thinks they are "too peppery"  OK Jen so we won't make you eat em just pick the flowers out of your salad.

Here on the south Oregon coast they grow like gangbusters typically the yellow and orange ones do the best, the red ones grow but not as robust as the others. Being an annual they die back when it gets really cold but some years it doesn't get cold enough to kill them back and they grow back easily. Even when the frost does take them down the seeds are everywhere anyway and re-sprout on their own.
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