Is balsam edible?

Flowers and seeds are edible

Impatiens' pink flowers and small strange looking seeds are edible. This applies to all species. Unlike them, you shouldn't eat the leaves and stems as they are. Something different is cooked ...

The sweet flowers as an edible decoration

The flowers are present from July. Until October or new flowers can form at 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

The seeds of the balsam 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 dishes:

• muffins
• Sponge cake
• pancakes
• Risotto
• Pesto
• Patties

Both the ripe seeds and the unripe (white colored) seeds are edible raw. They also taste delicious when roasted. In this form they are good for muesli or for nibbling in between meals.

Leaves - not very tasty

While the fresh leaves are slightly poisonous and can induce nausea, the leaves are edible when cooked. For example, they can be prepared like spinach. But from a culinary point of view, you can't get much from them due to the bitter substances and acids they contain.

Thus, the leaves should be viewed more as 'emergency food'. It's a shame, because otherwise you would have a good reason to harvest the balsam, which causes the Combat would be simplified.