Edible flowers refers to flowers that are safe to add to culinary creations such as salads, baked goods and main meals. Some edible flowers, such as borage flowers, are added to ice cubes which go into drinks. Edible flowers add colour, interest and sometimes flavour to the dish or drink they're used in.
List of edible flowers
This is a partial list (and these need to be confirmed). Please note that many plants share the same common name, so be sure to use the Latin name as part of identification. See the external links for more complete sources.
- Rose petals
- Dandelions
- Members of the genus Viola, such as violas, pansies, and violets (though not African violets)
- Nasturtiums (also the leaves and flower buds; the leaves and green parts are peppery). Grows easily.
- Tradescantia virginica, "Spiderwort"
- Ipomoea (be sure you have an edible variety - not all are edible and they may look very similar.)
- "Tagetes" marigold (Tagetes is the genus - are only certain species edible, or are they all edible?)[verification needed]
- Calendula
- Borage
- Bidens alba and Bidens pilosa, "Beggarts ticks"
- Chive flowers.
Harvesting plentiful flowers
Which edible flowers give a substantial crop of petals?
- Sunflowers
- Chrysanthemums
- Tagetes marigold (be sure you have an edible variety - see above)
Using particular edible flowers
- Borage flowers - Add the dainty blue flowers to ice cubes before freezing, then place in the freezer. Use the ice cubes in drinks such as soda or lemonade. They will add a slight flavour of cucumber, if the drink flavours don't overwhelm it. Borage flowers also look pretty used as decorations atop an iced cake or they can be added on top of desserts such as cheesecake, trifle or pavlova.
- Chive flowers - Add to salads. They taste slightly of onion and look colourful.
- Zucchini flowers - Stuff with finely chopped vegetable mix or soft cheese. Dip in batter, then fry. The flowers can also be added to salads.
External links
- Edible Flowers - Horticulture Information Leaflet from NC State University
- Hollyhock Cooks By Linda Solomon, Moreka Jolar, Maria Robledo] - extract on Google Books, listing "flowers that are both edible and palatable."
- Edible Flowers - whatscookingamerica.net
- EatTheWeeds.com
- Edible Flowers Chart - Home Cooking - About.com
- Plants for a Future