Colorful, Delightful, Healthful Salad!

[NYCorchidman]

This is a duplicate I did after having something similar at a nice hotel once.

Too pretty to eat, but it tasted just as nice as it looked.

Just in case, that big thing of apricot colored mass is a scoop of Mango sorbet. Originally it should have been lime sorbet, but I could not find it.

I'm not showing the dressing, but it is a lime vinaigrette.

[Leafmite]

Wow, that is pretty. I think the mango sorbet goes very well with the color scheme.

The purple flowers look like Borage! I don't see those very often (I have to grow my own).

[NYCorchidman]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Wow, that is pretty. I think the mango sorbet goes very well with the color scheme.

The purple flowers look like Borage! I don't see those very often (I have to grow my own).

Thanks, well, I wanted to use blue (or purple) baby pansy, but when I went to the market, this guy grabbed the last container of blue baby pansy. grrrrrhhhh!!!!
So I had to pick whater's left that's blue.
It is pretty star shaped flower, but the texture was horrible with all the hairs. I'll never buy again.
Also, quick search tells me that borage can be toxic. Woops! I ate almost every single flowers on that plate in one sit. hahahaha

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by NYCorchidman

...quick search tells me that borage can be toxic.

People have been eating borage for probably thousands of years. It tastes something like cucumber. If you ever want a big, hairy, pretty-flowered invasive weed in your garden, plant borage.

[Leafmite]

Originally Posted by estación seca

People have been eating borage for probably thousands of years. It tastes something like cucumber. If you ever want a big, hairy, pretty-flowered invasive weed in your garden, plant borage.

Borage = courage, according to my herb book. Maybe that is because it takes a brave soul to dare eat those hairy leaves.

The leaves do taste like cucumber. Our pet bunnies always found Borage irresistible. If the leaves and flowers are toxic, one must need to eat quite a bit of it because a rabbit can eat an entire, mature plant or two and still be perfectly fine. I fed the leaves to my bunnies as treats.
The flowers were often popular for setting in ice cube trays to make ice cubes prettier. Garnishing salads is a nice option, too.

[RosieC]

So pretty!

[NYCorchidman]

Sure, but look it up yourself.
It is said that this plant can be toxic.
I think you'll have to consume in large amount, though or overdo on the extract forms.

Anyway, I have no desire to eat this flower ever again. lol

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by NYCorchidman

Sure, but look it up yourself.
It is said that this plant can be toxic.
I think you'll have to consume in large amount, though or overdo on the extract forms.

Anyway, I have no desire to eat this flower ever again. lol

So are potatoes if grown incorrectly (with too much light so they go green), both potatoes and tomatoes are in the nightshade family along with "deadly nightshade".

Beans contain toxins, especially Kidney Beans which if cooked incorrectly can make you quite ill.

My uncle who grows his own veg has been poisoned by both in the past despite being very experienced at growing his own veg. The kidney bean one had both him and his wife very sick for about 12 hours overnight. However both found their colds gone when they had recovered, and apparently the toxin in kidney beans is used to fight colds in HIV patients. He doesn't advise it as a way to get over a cold though

Everything I've read say the Borage flowers are edible. the leaves contain a higher level of the toxin.

[NYCorchidman]

That is interesting!
No wonder I never liked kidney beans ever!
Then again, I never really liked beans other than peas.
My mom had to try so hard to get me to eat beans, but I would eat peas voluntarily.
They look pretty and taste pretty good.
Now I use white beans and chickpeas for certain dish, mostly soup, but I still don't like kidney beans. The texture is too dry, I don't know how to describe really.

Potatoes, I believe, are only toxic when eaten raw, or otherwise, if you eat the growing buds which is the most toxic part followed by green part.
So one must keep potatoes in the very very dark area and cool place so they don't sprout or green up.
I always even cut out the "eyes" even if they are not sprouting, one, never hurt to be on the safe side, two, they always have some dirt stuck on them. lol

Did your uncle and wife thouroughly cooked the kidney beans and still got sick from eating it?
I've never heard of this, but interesting.
Also, I didn't know about kidney bean being used as a cold treatment for HIV positive people.
Very interesting.

By the way, broccoli is also kind of toxic, isn't it?
I know it has been ever popular due to its supposedly "cancer" fighting power, but it does taste bad and that's why kids and many adults hate them.
It is more of acquired taste I think.

I would eat every now and then, but I have to really force myself to bring myself to eat them.
I tell myself, this is loaded with good stuff, I have to eat it! hahaha

Kales, too, although I find kales taste much better than broccoli. So now I eat kales, especially baby kale, which is even sweeter tasting, a lot more often than I eat broccoli.

Originally Posted by RosieC

So are potatoes if grown incorrectly (with too much light so they go green), both potatoes and tomatoes are in the nightshade family along with "deadly nightshade".

Beans contain toxins, especially Kidney Beans which if cooked incorrectly can make you quite ill.

My uncle who grows his own veg has been poisoned by both in the past despite being very experienced at growing his own veg. The kidney bean one had both him and his wife very sick for about 12 hours overnight. However both found their colds gone when they had recovered, and apparently the toxin in kidney beans is used to fight colds in HIV patients. He doesn't advise it as a way to get over a cold though

[estación seca]

It's the red beans of species Phaseolus vulgaris that cause the most trouble. White beans have a third of the toxin, and broad beans (Vicia faba) still less:

US Food and Drug Administration on Kidney Beans

Note that the toxin can be destroyed by cooking at boiling temperatures. Raw red beans are quite toxic, with only 4-5 beans able to cause symptoms. Who could eat them dry and hard? But apparently people have soaked them until soft, then eaten them.

Cooking at temperatures below boiling - for example, in slow cookers - makes them MORE toxic.