Today's menu

[Torty Mom]

I am so excited, my little baby ate totally from the garden today!!

Mulberry leaf, geranium leaf, rose bush leaf, part of a geranium flower, and a campanula leaf and flowers! (prickly pear cactus was offered, but not eaten)

I do have a few questions on flowers:

I know they are like ice cream, so how many should they been given, of course after they have eaten their greens? Little miss piggy would eat the whole campanula bush, if I let her.

Right now, I have been rotating between, Hibiscus, pansy, campanula, rose petals, dandelion. I have planted a bunch of others, tidy tips, chicory, johnny jump up, frisee, plains coreopsis, 4 O'clocks.

My other question is on the tortoise table site, when she says a plant is safe, unless she states otherwise, is it safe to assume that the whole plant is edible?

Thanks for all your help! I appreciate it!! Mary Anne

 

[Yvonne G]

I think that's just great that you are able to feed your baby from the garden! Hooray!!

I would assume that if parts of the plant were not good to be eaten, the author of the list would say so (as it IS a list for tortoises).

I wouldn't think that the flowers would be any less or more desirable to be eaten that the leaves and stems. I really never thought about that aspect before.

 

[Torty Mom]

I think that's just great that you are able to feed your baby from the garden! Hooray!!

I would assume that if parts of the plant were not good to be eaten, the author of the list would say so (as it IS a list for tortoises).

I wouldn't think that the flowers would be any less or more desirable to be eaten that the leaves and stems. I really never thought about that aspect before.

Thanks Yvonne! So you think it's totally ok if she eats more than 1 or 2 flowers per day? Should I let her eat as many as she wants? Within reason of course!

 

[Madkins007]

Flowers are not quite like ice cream, they would be more like flavored rice paper- there is a lot of nutrition in the bottom of the flower, in the green thing under it, but not much in the colorful tissues.

Personally, I toss some flowers in after they eat the main meal to act as filler or a snack.

 

[DeanS]

Flowers are not quite like ice cream, they would be more like flavored rice paper- there is a lot of nutrition in the bottom of the flower, in the green thing under it, but not much in the colorful tissues.

Well put...I'll be using that!

 

[Torty Mom]

Thanks for your reply Mark! I appreciate it! I do wait til she eats alot of her greens, but she really likes to munch on the flowers and I enjoy watching her eat with such gusto!!! She is like a little chomping machine, and usually misses 3 out of 4 times, which makes it even cuter to watch. She REALLY like the campanula flowers, even the dried up ones!

That actually gives me an idea, can I save some of the flowers dry them out like on paper towels and then mix them all together kinda like a crispy crunchy salad topping?

You guys are the best! Thanks for answering all my questions!
Mary Anne