Edible flowers

Do you ever walk into your garden and think those flowers look good enough to eat? I have the University of Illinois Extension to thank for that opening line. They have a wonderful resource sheet called Incredible Edible Flowers. I would like to have borrowed their title too. https://web.extension.illinois.edu/cfiv/downloads/63570.pdf.

In this downloadable document, they state the use of culinary flowers dates back thousands of years. Historically, mallow, rose and violets have been included in different dishes. Dandelions are reported to be one of the “bitter herbs referred to in the Old Testament of the Bible”. Daylily buds and squash blossoms have been used in Oriental and Italian dishes respectively.

Did you know the French have been using carnation petals in their chartreuse for hundreds of years? The original recipe is said to contain 130 herbs, plants and flowers. Wow!

So what flowers can we eat? For something spicy and peppery, try nasturtiums. Chive blossoms will add a little onion flavor to your meals. Violets and petunias are reportedly sweet, while English daisies and chrysanthemums are said to be bitter. “Hollyhocks, pansies, calendula and squash flowers are mildly flavored”. The University of Illinois Extension says it is best to start small when adding flowers to your dishes, especially when you are first learning how to incorporate them into your meal plan. There is an extended list of edible flowers here: https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/flowers/edible-flowers/.

There are quite a few precautions to consider when using flowers as culinary additions. Proper identification is an absolute must, because some very common and popular flowers are poisonous. Also, it is not recommended to use “commercially grown cut flowers from florists, nurseries, garden centers or roadsides”. If the flowers are not specifically grown as a food crop, then any pesticides applied to them may not be safe to consume. This is true for growing your own edible flowers. If you are growing flowers as food, then apply only pesticides labeled specifically for food crops. Friendly reminder – you always want to make sure the actual plant is listed on the label of any pesticide bottle.

From your garden, select flowers that have recently bloomed and ones that are free from insect damage and disease. Do not choose flowers that are not fully open or wilted.

Will you be eating the entire flower? No. Most of the time you will be wanting the petals only. This means removing the inside parts of the flower, specifically the pistils and stamens. There are additional instructions and precautions on the Incredible Edible Flowers fact sheet. I would highly recommend reading this document prior to consuming any flowers at all.

If you have allergies, eating flowers may not be ideal because pollen residue may be present. Remember to treat your home grown flowers as a food crop if you are going to eat them. If you are not interested in growing your own, some grocery stores are now selling edible flowers in their produce section.

Kelley Rawlsky has an M.S. in horticulture and is the director of Bringing People and Plants Together, an organization dedicated to bringing horticulture education and therapy to the community. For more information: PeopleAndPlantsTogether@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.

Originally published in Broomfield Enterprise - Feb 11, 2018