Fabulous Fuchsia

Let's talk about Fuchsias, which are commonly seen across the UK in many gardens, however not many people are aware that this whole plant is edible.

🌴Fuchsias are beautiful flowering plants which are part of the evening primrose family, with its roots originating from the Caribbean. These add a touch of tropical to any English garden. Not only are these plants perennials which means they come back every year, their flowers, berries and leaves are edible.

🥗The flowers add a splash of color to any meal and make a great addition in salads.

The whole flower is edible apart from the stamen, so ensure that you remove

these before eating. Then you can remove the inner petals, which can be perfectly added into salads as they're more succulent then the outer petals. They are a bit tougher and can be added into stir fries.

🍒Fuchsias also produce berries which are edible and also so delicious. These start as a green and get darker as they mature. Eventually turning into a dark deep purple, almost black one. Great thing about Fuchsias is as they produce fruit they also continue to produce flowers. Which is great as you get the best of both worlds beautiful flowers and berries. Once the berries have darkened, they are ready to be picked.

🥝They are really easy to harvest straight from the plant and you can use them fresh or in jams. Fuchsia berries are quite soft so it may be easier just to snip them off or pull

them off from the main stem. This way you don't squash them. Different varieties of Fuchsias will produce different taste in berries. Some are actually very sweet and have a

taste that could be compared almost between a grape and a blueberry. Some varieties are tarter than others, with a lemony kick to them, some tasting a bit like a lemony kiwi.

All varieties are actually edible, so there's something to please every taste bud.

🤤If you've got Fuchsias grown in your garden why don't you give them a taste??? Have a nibble and see what you think.

🌳If you don't have any and you are keen to get one, Thompson & Morgan have bred the perfect Fuchsia berry which has been selected for better flavour and more fruit production as well. You can grow them in a fruit garden, on an allotment and a vegetable patch, even in patio pots. Those berries have a taste similar to a fig or a kiwi and they can be eaten in the same way as you would cherries but they haven't got a stone inside. 

🌤️The benefits of Fuchsias is that they will be able to be grown in sun as well as a

shady corner of the garden so they really are super versatile. There's a good level of vitamin C in these berries. You will really surprise your gardening friends with these.

🍒Ready, steady, Fuchsia berry party ready!🍒