Add Edible Flowers to Your Dishes for Garden Week

By: M. Elise Giller

Flowers instantly perk up any room making it as fresh and inviting as a ripe avocado, and you can do the same for your food by using edible flowers in unexpected ways. Need to know which flowers are safe to eat? We’ve put together a list in honor of Garden Week.

Before we get started, a word of warning: Do not eat a flower if you’re not sure it’s consumable. Stick to those you’ve grown yourself or have purchased at a farmers market and know are safe to eat. Never eat flowers you’ve picked off the road or in public parks. Don’t have a farmers market nearby? Shop the produce section of your grocery store (not the florist section) or order online from a reputable seller. Sites like Marx Foods, Melissa’s, and Gourmet Sweet Botanicals ship overnight for the freshest picks.

Remember, when eating a flower, remove the pistils and stamens and eat only the petals.

Edible Options

• Allium varies in flavor anywhere from leek to garlic.
• Anise hyssop tastes, as you might suspect, like anise, or licorice.
• Basil flowers taste like the leaf but are much milder.
• Bean blossoms are sweet and crunchy.
• Borage has a mild flavor like cucumber.
• Carnations are sweet and mild, and taste like they smell.
• Clover flowers are sweet and taste a bit like licorice.
• Lavender is sweet, spicy, and perfumed, like the scent itself.
• Marigold is spicy and peppery.
• Nasturtiums have a sweet, floral flavor and a spicy pepper finish.
• Pansies have a slight wintergreen flavor.
• Rose petals taste perfumed and rich.
• Violets are floral and sweet.

Floral How-To

• Add to salads to amplify color and taste.
• Stuff squash blossoms and larger flowers with mashed avocado and herbs.
• Freeze small flowers in ice cubes and add to beverages.
• Place fresh flowers on top of cakes and cupcakes.
• Candy flowers to decorate cakes and candies.

The sky is the limit when using flowers to make food even more beautiful — and tasty.

Why not add edible flowers to our tasty avocado and pineapple salad? Find the recipe here.

FACT-CHECKING:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/cooking-with-edible-flowers-1809248

https://www.treehugger.com/green-food/42-flowers-you-can-eat.html

 https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/cooking/tips/a25640/how-to-use-edible-flowers/

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