Empress of India Nasturtium

10 Seeds+

🌸 Empress of India Nasturtium Seeds
Tropaeolum majus

A Victorian heirloom with royal flair 👑🌿, Empress of India is famed for its deep crimson-red blooms ❤️🔥 set against rich dark blue-green foliage 🌱💎. Compact, elegant, and edible, this nasturtium delivers both ornamental beauty and a peppery punch 🌶️. Long celebrated in gardens and kitchens, it’s equally valued as a garnish, a salad green, and even a source of gourmet pickled “capers.”

👅 Flavor Profile:
Peppery 🌶️, mustard-like 🌿, with a hint of radish zing 🥗.

🍴 Culinary Uses:

🥗 Toss flowers & leaves into salads for a spicy bite + dramatic color
🥒 Use fresh leaves in sandwiches or as edible wraps
🍸 Float blooms in cocktails for bold crimson elegance
🧄 Pickle green seed pods as tangy “poor man’s capers”
🧁 Garnish cakes, charcuterie & savory plates with fiery red blooms

👨🍳 Chef’s Pitch:
Empress of India is the chef’s heirloom gem 🌸👨🍳✨. With its regal crimson flowers and peppery flavor, it transforms salads, cocktails, and baked goods into gourmet creations. Add in the bonus of edible leaves and pickled seed pods, and you have a triple-purpose plant fit for any chef’s garden.

🌱 Growing Notes:

🪴 Compact annual, 10–14” tall, neat mounding habit
🌸 Deep crimson-red blooms with dark blue-green foliage
🌞 Thrives in poor to average soil, full sun preferred
⏱ Long bloom season: summer → frost
🐝 Attracts pollinators, works as a natural pest trap (especially for aphids)

✨ Quick Facts:

• Latin Name: Tropaeolum majus (‘Empress of India’)

• Habit: Annual, compact 10–14” tall, mounding

• Flavor: Peppery, mustard-like, radish-spiced

• Culinary Uses: Salads, cocktails, edible wraps, pickled seed pods

• Special Use: Dark foliage + bold blooms = striking edible garnish