Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Himalayan Balsam along with all the Himalayan Balsam containing recipes presented on this site, with 6 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Himalayan Balsam as a major wild food ingredient.

NOTE:It is now illegal to collect any part of this plant in the UK, as it spreads too readily. I am providing this record FOR HISTORICAL REASONS and for anyone who might encounter and want to use the plant in its native range.

Himalayan Balsam, Impatiens glandulifera (also known as Indian Balsam, Jewelweed, kiss-me-on-the-mountain, Policeman's Helmet and Ornamental Jewelweed) is a tall, herbaceous, annual flowering plant in the Balsaminaceae (balsam) family. It native range extends from the east Asia to the western Himalayas and south to Pakistan, it has, however, been naturalized in Britain and the USA, where it is an invasive weed. The plant is typically found on river banks and in waste places, where it colonizes readily. In its native habitat it is most typically found in shrubberies and bushy places and is often associated with grazing land. The plant is an annual, classed as succulent and glabrous (smooth and hairless) and is very hardy. Typically it grows between 1 and 2m tall with a soft green or red-tinged stem, and lanceolate leaves 5 to 23cm long. The leaf margins are sharply serrate with 20 teeth, or more, along each side. Each leaf has a stout petiole (stem), with small, glandular stalks found at the base of these petioles. When crushed, the leaves have a strong musty smell. The flowers develop between June and October and these are pink, with a distinctive hooded shape. They are typically about 3cm tall and 2cm broad and each plant develops several solitary flowers on an elongated axillary stalk. After pollination (the flowers are very attractive to bees), the seed pods form. These are typically five-chambered about 2.5cm long and 8mm broad and are distinctive in that they will explode when disturbed, scattering the seeds up to 7m distant from the parent plant (each can contain up to 800 seeds). Indeed, the name Impatiens (impatient) refers to this seed dispersal method. The seeds are small, (about 2 to 4mm) and teardrop-shaped. They range from very pale when immature through green to almost black when ripe. The ripe seeds are light and float on water.

They were introduced to Britain in the 1850s, amongst a number of garden collections from the Himalayas and by the 1880s they had become naturalized. They are now classed as an invasive species as their rapid growth and easy spread means that they easily out-compete native plants, particularly on disturbed ground, cleared ground and riverbanks. The small size of the seeds, the explosive nature of the seed pods and the buoyancy of the seeds means that they are easily distributed, particularly if growing by streams and riverbeds.

The young shoots and stems are edible, when cooked, but care should be taken as they contain high concentrations of calcium oxalate (which is broken down and leached out on cooking) but it is recommended that they are not consumed too frequently. Immature seed pods (before they reach the 'explosive' stage) are edible whole, and can be cooked like radish pods or mangetout (snow peas) and used in stir-fries and curries. The seeds themselves can be eaten raw and have a nutty taste that is variously described as being like hazelnuts or walnuts. The best way to collect the seeds is to enclose the seed pod in a bag and then pinch it off (this way, when the pods explode the seeds are not dispersed). Seeds can be toasted and ground to make flower, crushed and used as a spice or substituted in any recipe that calls for hazelnuts. They are excellent baked in cakes, breads and biscuits and make a welcome addition to stews and curries (a traditional use in Northern India). When collecting the seeds, you need not be too particular in removing all bits of the seed pods that you collect with them as the pods are edible. The seeds require a period of cold to activate from dormancy, as a result mature seeds (if carefully picked over) can be stored in an air-tight jar as a store-cupboard standby. They are useful for substituting in cakes instead of nuts for those with nut allergies and ground himalayan balsam seeds can be substituted for ground almonds. The seeds can also be dried and ground to use as a ground almond substitute or to use as an adulterant to wheat flours in baking breads, pancakes and cakes. The flowers can also be used to make floral jams and jellies. The seeds can also be processed into an edible oil.

References:

[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants