Beautiful to bite into: edible flowers

Have you ever eaten flowers?

I still remember the very first time I discovered that you could eat flowers.

I was young, about 7, 8, or 9 years old, and I was on vacation with my parents at a bed & breakfast. At breakfast, the innkeeper had sprinkled our meal with pansy flowers, and to my great surprise, my parents told me I could eat them. It was so pretty!

Later, I discovered the pleasure of eating clover flowers and "little birds" (hairy vetch, as they are truly called) in the fields.

Since then, it still fascinates me just as much that we can eat flowers, and I find it a shame that we don't do it more often.

It is true that the flowering period is rather limited and that they really don't keep long once picked, unless you dry them or preserve them otherwise (I'm getting there!).

It is also true that the very fragrant taste of some is not for everyone (or for every meal!), but the variety of edible flowers is great and the flavors are varied, not to mention that many flowers honestly don't taste like much at all. But what better way to add color and beauty to a meal?

Here are some of the flowers that are edible (but there are many more!).

Flowers that add the "wow" factor to our plates

They are not the most fragrant, but they are easy to grow (or find). They add a nice touch of color to salads, desserts, and other dishes.

1. For yellow or orange

Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

Calendula petals add a beautiful orange to salads, rice, and muffins.

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

The large yellow sunflower petals make a beautiful effect in a pasta salad. You can also eat the flower buds steamed.

2. For a touch of blue

Borage (Borago officinalis)

These pretty star-shaped flowers make magnificent decorations on a dessert or in ice cubes. Warning, however: you should not consume borage if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have liver problems.

Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)

Other very beautiful flowers that can be left whole for decoration, or whose petals can be separated to sprinkle over a fruit salad.

Flax (Linum perenne)

As a bonus: if you forget to pick them in time, let them go to seed, and then dry them well!

Forget-me-not (Myosotis)

My favorite flowers! Add these tiny, delicate woodland flowers to garnish your cakes, cheeses, or salads.

3. For a bit of pink or mauve

Mallow (Malva sylvestris)

In addition to being very productive, it is medicinal. If you don't use it to decorate your dishes, make an infusion out of it! There are pink, purple, and white varieties.

4. Rainbow of flowers

Wild pansies (Viola tricolor)

They are white, purple, and yellow all at once, and you can use them whole to decorate a goat cheese crostini, a yogurt, or even a crepe.

To perfume the kitchen

Unlike the previous ones, these flowers are particularly fragrant and it is better to use them sparingly. They are often used in infusions to flavor syrups, honeys, alcohols, and vinegars.

Chamomile (German, Roman, or Oxeye...)

Without having as heady a perfume as rose or lilac, chamomile flowers also have an interesting taste for flavoring a fruit salad or even a sorbet. The detached petals don't taste like much, but can be used in the decoration of your desserts.

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

Quite flavorful, the flowers and young leaves (!) of the nasturtium are edible and have a good peppery taste. Perfect to include in salads or rolls! Wash the leaves well before using them — nasturtiums often have aphids.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

Fresh or dried, lavender flower has an inimitable perfume and is excellent in lemonade or in a brownie batter… ?

Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)

Aaah, the scent of spring! Along with lily of the valley (non-edible), the scent of lilac is probably the one that most signals the arrival of warmth. Lilac flowers should be infused in alcohol, in cream (hello, beautiful whipped cream!), or mixed into sugar to perfume it. You can also make "honey" or lemonade out of them. Do not eat them directly; they are very bitter.

Rose (Rosa)

Very versatile, rose petals can perfume drinks, vinegars, honey, sugar, salt, vegetable glycerin, etc. Try rose honey on baklava… Yumm!

I am already growing in the vegetable garden

In addition to harvesting vegetables, you can take advantage of your garden to pick some flowers. For many plants, the presence of flowers signals that they have been too hot or thirsty, and that can alter the taste of the leaves (which becomes stronger). The good side is that you can also savor the petals!

Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo)

The beautiful large yellow flowers of squash and zucchini are edible. Choose the male flowers (which don't have a bulge at the base) so as not to deprive yourself of a future zucchini. If necessary, you can manually pollinate the female flowers before picking the males. Pick them at the last minute, remove the pistil, and clean the flowers well with a damp cloth. You can then stuff them or fry them!

Fresh herbs

All these herbs have edible flowers whose taste is similar to that of the leaves.

• basil (Ocimum basilicum)
• chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
• cilantro (Coriandrum sativum)
• mint (Mentha)
• oregano (Origanum vulgare)
• rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
• savory (Satureja hortensis)
• sage (Salvia officinalis)
• thyme (Thymus vulgaris).

You can use them much the same way as the leaves: fresh, dried, infused in honey, frozen in oil, etc.

Arugula (Eruca sativa)

Arugula quickly goes to seed when it is hot or thirsty. If this happens in your garden, take advantage of the slightly spicy flowers to make dips, vinaigrettes, or add them to a potato salad.

I am already in your flower beds

We think they are only ornamental, when they could just as well decorate our plate. To wow the crowd or play it fancy, cook them.

Begonia (Begonia)

Add them to salads or on cakes.

Fuchsia (Fuchsia)

Remove the stamens well, as well as the green base of the flower.

Gladiolus (Gladiolus)

The large gladiolus petals can be eaten in rolls, sandwiches, or on crostini.

Daylily (Hemerocallis)

Eat fresh, stuffed, fried, or blanched.

Hosta (Hosta)

Eat the petals fresh or the flower buds fried or pickled.

Tulip (Tulipa)

Use their shape to stuff them or to present a dish, as in a cup.

Preparing and eating edible flowers

Of course, only consume flowers you know, that you know are edible, and whose origin you know. They must not have been treated (don't eat flowers from the local florist, mind you!) and must grow in healthy soil, not on the side of the road.

Also, reread "A word on gathering wild plants" in my column on the medicinal garden.

Gathering

As a general rule, pick the flowers (by cutting the stem with your nail just below the flower, otherwise with precision pruners) when they are fully open, but before they start to wilt.

Also, pay attention to the weather: you want to pick flowers when they are not wet or damp (so not when it has just rained nor when there is dew).

Preparing the flowers

Remove the pistils and stamens from the picked flowers.

You can also wipe them gently with a cloth, but never wash them with water!

Warning! If you are allergic to pollen, refrain from eating flowers or proceed with caution, by eating a few well-wiped petals to start.

Many flowers can be used fresh. Ideally, they should be picked very shortly before being consumed.

Fresh flowers are also used if you want to make decorative ice cubes (cover with water, or an infusion — for example, chamomile tea poured over chamomile flowers), or frozen cubes of flavored oil (for example, oregano flowers in olive oil).

You can dry most flowers to make infusions, include them in an aromatic salt (or bath salt!), make a potpourri, or then infuse them in honey, sugar, or oil.

To dry them, hang small bouquets upside down in a dry, well-ventilated area, away from the sun, or lay more fragile flowers or large petals on fine screening or paper towels spread out on a rack (always away from direct sunlight!). Then store them in a well-labeled, opaque, airtight container (if your jar is clear glass, store it in a cupboard).

Finally, it is possible to candied flowers (for example violets), preserve them layered with sugar, make a syrup, infuse them in a fine oil (for example grapeseed), in honey, or even in a 40% alcohol, a vinegar, or a wine. With a little imagination (and a good source of information), the sky is the limit!

A few recipe ideas

Estelle adds red clover flowers (detached petals) and sloe blossoms to her strawberry jam. Try it! Here are a few other recipes that look absolutely delicious!

See also:

• Summer Crepes (vegan)
• Fried Zucchini Flowers
• Fresh Mint Cake (vegan)
• Chamomile Yogurt Parfaits
• Lilac Scones
• Apricot and Garden Flower Bulgur Tabbouleh (vegan)
• Lavender Vodka
• Several recipes here
• Several others there

For even more beautiful recipes as well as more information on edible flowers and their preservation, I highly suggest the book Fleurs comestibles: du jardin à la table by Mélinda Wilson.

Have a flowery summer!

Marie-Hélène xx

Sources

Plants for a Future — http://www.pfaf.org

WILSON, Mélinda. Fleurs comestibles. Du jardin à la table. Montréal: Éditions Fides, 2007.