Flowers are a joy to behold, their simple beauty peeking through a backdrop of greenery. Home gardeners plant and replant flowers every year, tirelessly working to give homes and gardens a fleeting splash of color. Many flowers can serve a dual purpose, however, as there are several varieties of fresh edible flowers that can add spice to both your garden and your palate!
There are several things to be careful of before grazing through your local flower garden. First and foremost, if you’re not sure of the flower, don’t eat it! Some flowers are harmful to the human digestive system, even poisonous, so only eat the flowers you know for sure are harmless. If you have food sensitivities, flowers should be added to your diet with care and moderation to ensure that you don’t have an allergic reaction. Avoid flowers from your local florist or nursery as they are often treated with dangerous chemicals and pesticides. In your own flower garden, make sure that any chemicals you use are safe for food-bearing plants. Some flowers can be purchased for consumption at natural food stores and gourmet grocery stores, but the safest and easiest way to add flowers to your diet is to grow them yourself.
Roses are one of the most all-purpose flowers out there, with numerous colors and types speaking their own language, filled with symbolism. Roses are also an edible fresh flower, used by famous chefs in soups and sauces to infuse meals with their sweet flavor that varies depending on the variety. Darker roses usually have a more potent flavor, and they can range from spicy to fruity to flowery. Only the petals should be consumed, and the white part of the petals should be cut off as it has a displeasing, bitter flavor.
Rose hips, which are the fruits of wild rose bushes, are also edible and very healthy as they are extremely high in vitamin C. Rose bushes are usually covered in hips after all the blooms have withered away. They are best harvested after a frost and left to dry after removing the seeds. They taste mildly like cranberries and can be used for tea, jam, or just cooked and eaten with butter or added to soups and stews. They freeze well and last almost indefinitely in the freezer.
Nasturtiums are edible fresh flowers that are easy to grow, relatively carefree, and are excellent additions to salad. They are spicy with a pleasant peppery flavor and bold yellow, red, and orange coloring. The flower can be used whole and mixed with salad greens, but you should save them for last if you are tossing salad dressing with your greens as the dressing will cause the flower petals to wilt.
Violets are another edible fresh flower. They can be used simply as a lovely edible garnish or decoration on a cake, and the petals are often crystallized and eaten as a sweet delicacy. The flavor is mild and sweet with a perfume-like quality. Violets can also be added to salads for both visual and flavorful appeal or frozen within ice cubes for summer parties. The leaves are also edible and can be steamed and eaten like spinach.
The seeds of sunflowers are commonly eaten, salted, roasted, and munched by the handful. Sunflowers are also an edible fresh flower, especially when harvested before they have opened into full bloom. Sunflower buds can be steamed and eaten like an artichoke, with a flavor reminiscent of artichokes as well. The petals of mature sunflowers can also be harvested, and they have a slightly bittersweet flavor, but a quick run through a steamer or a blanching in boiling water will remove a lot of the bitterness. The petals can then be scattered through a salad or mixed with fresh steamed vegetables.
The blossoms of fruit trees, such as apple, peach, and pear, are edible and are a delightful garnish or addition to salads. Use caution when eating apple blossoms, though, as many varieties of apples contain cyanide in their seeds and flowers.
Daylilies are another edible fresh flower. The petals are sweet and can be eaten in desserts and salads, but the white bases of the petals should be cut away as they are bitter. The entire flower can be stuffed with your favorite salad and consumed. Early spring shoots can be steamed and eaten in the same manner as asparagus. These should be harvested when they are only two or three inches in height. They can also be used as a delicately dramatic garnish for cakes or platters of salads or desserts.
Edible flowers are a surprising delicacy. With so many varieties to choose from and so many different flavors, colors, and uses, there is something out there for every gardener. A leisurely stroll through the garden can turn into a lunchtime buffet with careful planting of fresh edible flowers!
Sources:
Edible Flowers. Plants for a Future, 1996-2003.
Edible Flowers Chart. Peggy Trowbridge, 2005.
Native Foods – Rose Hips. Paula Giese, 1995.
Edible Flowers – List of Edible Flowers, Incredible Edible Flowers. Linda Stradley, 2004.
