How to Cook and Entertain with Edible Flowers
If you are not eating flowers, you are wasting a wonderful opportunity. Many common garden flowers are edible. Some are tasteless but make beautiful additions to salads or as garnishes. Others have distinctive flavors that will enhance any dish.
Edible Flowers for Your Garden
Here are some of my favorites:
- Allium species – These are onions, garlic, chives, and all the ornamental alliums. The flowers are pretty, generally white or cream-colored, and tasty. Of course, they taste “oniony,” but some are sharp, some are mild, and all look great.
- Basil (Ocimum basilicum) – Don’t just use the leaves. The pale flowers add interest and provide a very mild taste of basil.
- Dianthus – Not only plants called dianthus, but other members of this genus, such as carnations and sweet Williams. The pretty petals, in reds, pinks, creams, and more, will enhance your food. The base of the petals can be bitter; test and perhaps trim it off.
- Herbs – If you are growing it for the flavor of the leaves, you can eat the flowers. For example, thyme (Thymus species), oregano (Origanum vulgare), marjoram (Origanum majorana), and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) all have flowers you can eat.
- Hibiscus (Hibiscus, including rose mallows and rose-of-Sharon) – All of these have glorious big edible flowers. The red hibiscus flowers will turn clear drinks pink or even red.
- Lavender (Lavandula) – Lavender’s small blue-purple flowers will carry a faint fragrance of lavender into your foods.
- Lilacs (Syringa) – The gorgeous flowers, purple or lilac or white, will enhance any dish. Leave the green stems behind.
- Mints – Spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint (Mentha) but also American mints in the genera Monarda (bee balm, wild bergamot) and Agastache (anise hyssops, butterfly mints) – These all have pretty flowers, in an array of bright colors, which light up a dish and add a hint of mint to the taste.
- Peonies (Paeonia) – Peony flowers with their many petals are edible, sweet-smelling, and spectacular. Avoid the stems and green parts because those parts of peonies are mildly toxic.
- Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) – The pink, purple, blue, or white flowers carry a tiny pungent taste of rosemary.
- Roses (Rosa) – The petals of any rose are edible unless they’ve been treated with fungicide or pesticide. They come in so many beautiful colors and shades, from large to quite small. Pull them off the stem, trim off the white end if it is bitter, and use them everywhere.
- Sage (Salvia officinalis) – Garden sage, also called culinary sage, has attractive, edible lavender flowers which taste lightly of sage.
- Violets (Viola, including pansies, violets, and Johnny-jump-ups) – All of the flowers in the genus Viola are edible. Do not use African violet flowers (Saintpaulia species), they are not in the violet family and can upset the stomach.
BROWSE THE PERENNIAL COLLECTION Tips for Using Edible Flowers
Flowers beautify food. They can be put into green salads or fruit salads for color and a bit of spiciness. Put edible flowers into vinegars for an exotic-looking vinegar with, depending on the flower, an intriguing added taste. Likewise, flowers can be added to syrups. Use them lavishly to decorate cakes or ice cream or other desserts. Drop them into water or lemonade or iced tea for a dramatic touch.
Edible Flower Safety
Be aware of fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, and other products that are casually put on plants. Most such products are not very poisonous to humans, but almost none of them are food-grade. Wash the flowers carefully. If possible, simply do not apply anything to plants if you plan to eat the flowers.
Unsafe Flowers to Avoid
Summary
Flowers are a wonderful addition to any meal. There are so many ways to use them! Try them and see!
SHOP THE PERENNIAL COLLECTION Written for Jackson & Perkins by Kathy Keeler, A Wandering Botanist
