Plants and Greens
Plants and Greens
Borage Leaves
Borage Flowers
Sea Beet / Wild Spinach
Mediterranean Thistle
Common Nettle
Common Mallow
Wild Asparagus
Caper Bush, Capers / Caperberries
Purslane
Wild Rocket
Smooth Saw Thistle
Borage Leaves
Borago officinalis
Fidloqqom
Season: November – April
Soup / Ravioli / Risotto / Fritters
Borage Flowers
Season: January – April
Garnish
The delicate pretty blue flowers have a subtle sweet, honey-like flavour mixed with vegetal undertones.
Sea Beet / Wild Spinach
Beta vulgaris subs. maritimaSelq tal-Kosta
Season: December – February
Pureé / Condiment / Wilted
Sea beet is actually the wild ancestor of the spinach beet and the beetroot, and the leaves taste quite similar to the cultivated spinach.
Mediterranean Thistle
Galactites tomentosa Xewk Abjad
Stalks Peeled and Pickled / Brined / Raw as Condiment
The Mediterranean Thistle is the most common from over 29 thistle species in the Maltese Islands. Although it is often considered as a weed, it provides an important source of food for honey bees mainly for the production of the spring multiflora honey.
Common Nettle
Urtica diocaĦurrieqa Komuni
Season: December – March
Soup / Pureé / Pies / Gnocchi / Crisps
This leafy green contains a large variety of nutritious vitamins and minerals, which also feature prominently in Maltese traditional folk medicine as a remedy for chillblains (seqej).
Common Mallow
Malva sylvestris
Ħobbejża
Season: December – March
Flower for Garnish / Leaves in Brine / Stews / Condiment
The Common Mallow is related to the marshmallow plant, from which the first marshmallows were created in ancient Egyptian times. The plant has a long history of medicinal use, regarded as a cure-all of Medieval herbal medicine!
Wild Asparagus
Asparagus aphyllusSpraġġ Xewwieki
Season: February – March
Pickled / Risotto / Pasta / Side Dish
Cooking with wild asparagus shoots dates back to Ancient Egypt. The oldest recipe for cooking asparagus is recorded in the oldest surviving book of recipes dated 3rd century AD!!
Caper Bush
Capers / Caperberries
Capparis orientalisKappar
Season: May – June
Pickled / Condiment in Salads / Condiment with Fish / Garnish
Capers are actually the unripe flower bud of the indigenous Caper bush while the Caperberries are the fruit. Both have to be pickled in brine, vinegar, wine or salt to draw out their naturally bitter flavour and enhance their distinctive piquant salty-sour flavour.
Purslane
Portulaca oleraceaBurdlieqa
Season: May – July
Pesto / Salad / Condiment
The soft, succulent leaves of the Purslane are packed with iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, and phosphorus and are very low in calories, making it a healthy superfood!
Wild Rocket
Diplotaxis tenuifolia
Ġarġir Isfar
Season: August – November
Salad / Flower for Garnish
The jagged leaves of this leafy green vegetable, also known as Rucola is found in a variety of habitats including roadsides and disturbed areas. Small leaves have a sweet, nutty taste but the older larger leaves have a spicy, peppery and bitter taste!
Smooth Sow Thistle
Sonchus oleraceus
Tfiefa
Season: October – March
Omelettes / Pesto / Wilted / Condiment / Tea / Dandellion Flower Butter / Garnish
Did you know? A single plant can produce over 8000 seeds that are dispersed by the wind and are able to germinate all year round!
Our Specials Change Daily
Local Products
We give first preference to agricultural products available in the area according to the season and we also produce a wide range of local organic product including jams, marmalades, olive oil, savoury delicatessen, dried herbs and more.
The Herbs and Spices available are hand-harvested and packed from foraged plants and are produced in small quantities. Historical, cultural and local aspects have been considered in the selection of sweet produce such as jams, marmalades and preserves and Savoury produce.
The Extra Virgin Olive Oil sold at The Cliffs is a tribute to the oldest olive tree that is found at our estate down the cliffs. The olives are hand-picked from family-run groves from Dingli and are pressed exclusively using mechanical means.
Whatever you see, you can buy – take it home and share the taste with family and friends!
Triq Panoramika,
Dingli