A Comprehensive Guide to Edible Flowers

For thousands of years, mankind has used edible flowers in cooking or as decoration for a variety of cultural dishes. The Ancient Chinese first experimented with edible flowers in their delicate cuisines dating back to 3,000 B.C.E. The Romans used edible flowers, such as violets and roses, for the main entrees, and lavender for savory sauces. Gardeners favored marigolds and orange blossoms in their cooking over 1,000 years ago. Modern restaurants around the world incorporate edible flowers to enhance their salads with an array of color, texture, flavors, and decoration. In addition, modern cooks use all sorts of edible flowers to add zing to appetizers, starters, entrees, desserts, and baked goods. Experts recommend growing wild edible flowers and then harvesting each batch when they are blooming. Harvesting wild edible flowers ensures that they are free of pesticides and disease. Remember to practice good personal hygiene before handling nature's finest delicacies.

• Agastache: The Agastache genus produces flowers and leaves that have a subtle, fragrant taste. Agastache adds a subtle hint of anise flavoring to cakes and other baking goods. Bakers also toss in the flowers and leaves to whipped cream recipes for an added hint of liquorice. Pregnant women should consult their physician before consuming this herb to avoid unforeseen complications.
• Apple and the Crab Apple: Apple blossoms have a floral taste that add a flavor to salads. Apple blossoms may be added as a garnish to fruit punch bowls. In addition, they are also great in whipped and ice cream for a savory dessert.
• Basil: The flowers from a basil plant can be used as a substitute in any appetizer or entree requiring the herb itself. Basil flowers should be used sparingly, otherwise it could overwhelm the existing flavor in dishes. Basil is especially ideal for salads, soups, and pasta.
• Begonia: The Begonia plant has vibrant colored flowers that have a savory, light lemony taste with a crispy texture. Begonia can be snipped into petals and decorated as a garnish in various dishes. Some people even dip the whole flower petal into yogurt to serve as an appetizer. Beware that only the tuberous genus of the begonia plant are edible, mainly because the petals contain a chemical compound that should be eaten in moderation or avoided altogether by people suffering from kidney stones, gout, and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Borage: The Borage plant produces flowers that mix well with vegetable and fruit salads. Some people use borage as a garnish for soups, and to decorate desserts. Borage petals have a cucumber taste that goes well with iced tea. Pregnant women should avoid borage flowers, because of its diuretic effect, and its ability to cause discharge.
• Cape Jasmine: Jasmine blooms are used to make fermented pickles, jams, and flavoring for baked goods.
• Dianthus: The Dianthus genus offers a spicy, almost clover like taste. Dianthus are ideal for decorating cakes. They also make colorful garnishes for soups, salads, and fruit punch bowls. The flower petals adds a zing to ice cream, fruit salads, desserts, and a variety of seafood.
• Catmint: The Catmint genus produces small flowers with an aromatic, spicy flavor that should be using sparingly while cooking. Catmint will add a zest to pasta and rice dishes consisting of all sorts of vegetable varieties. Catmint is also a great compliment to meaty dishes like lamb chops. Pregnant women should stay away from Catmint.
• Chicory: The flowers taste similar to lettuce and compliment salads well. Freshly picked chicory blooms add an appeal to frozen drinks. Direct skin contact with this plant can cause skin allergies.
• Chives: Chive flower blooms have a crunchy texture with a mild onion taste. Cooks often toss salads, breakfast foods, pasta, and seafood. Some of the popular dishes include white fish fillets, scrambled eggs, and omelets. The intensity of the food can be overwhelming, despite its amazing taste. Chives are normally used for garnishes around a main entree.
• Citrus trees: Citrus flowers have a very strong scent and flavor that accentuate numerous foods, such as stir fried vegetable dishes to flavorful puddings. Citrus trees contribute to crystallizing and decorating an assortment of baked goods.
• Coriander: Coriander flowers can be used in a variety of dishes. Some cooks spread coriander flowers over cauliflower, and add it to cream cheese as a tasty spread. A small amount of coriander flowers can provide solid flavor in fruit salads and other similar dishes. The flowers are as adaptable as the leaves in a variety of different dishes.
• Daisy: Daisy flower petals are ideal for creating decorative garnishes for desserts, soups, salads, biscuits, mousses, pates, and other savory dishes. People suffering with hay fever, asthma, or severe allergies should avoid eating daisies, because of their extreme allergenic effect.
• Dill: Dill flowers compliment seafood dishes, omelets, and cooked vegetables. Cooks can add whole dill flowers to cucumbers, gherkins, and beetroots for a mild flavor similar to dill seed.
• Fennel: Fennel flowers provide a mild liquorice or star anise blend. Fennel mixes well with seafood, meat, and fresh vegetable dishes, such as cucumber and potato soup. Fennel flower oil suits well for barbecuing pork chops.
• Hibiscus: Hibiscus flower infusion creates a mild citrus-flavored tea. Hibiscus flower petals serves a decorative garnish for fruit salads. Independent hibiscus harvesters should use the petals.
• Hollyhock: Hollyhock flowers can be crystallized as cake, mousses, and roulades decorations. Hollyhock flowers mix well with salad leaves and other seafood dishes. Hollyhock flowers make a flavorful syrup for various puddings. Remove the center stem and green bits for a savory dish.
• Hyssop: Hyssop can be added to soups and salads. People can also brew hyssop into a savory tea. Hyssop compliments seafood and meat dishes. Ideal for adding to soups or salads, or can be infused to make a refreshing tea. Hyssop also makes a perfect complement to fish and meat dishes.
• Lavender: Lavender flowers create sweet and savory dishes. Bakers can also make biscuits, sorbets, jams, and jellies. Cooks add lavender flowers to vegetable sauces for duck, chicken, and lamb chops. Warning: Ingesting more than two drops of lavender oil may induce sickness.
• Lemon Balm: Lemon Balm flowers are tiny petals that are ideal for making salad dressings and soups. Cooks stuff poultry dishes with lemon balm.
• Lilac: Lilac flowers mix well together with cream cheese served on crackers. Lilac flowers compliment yogurt for small zing of lemon. They are also a great garnish for baked goods, such as scones, pies, and cakes.
• Marigolds: Marigold petals and leaves provide a citrus like taste that makes them a great addition to salads, sandwiches, desserts, and seafood dishes. Marigolds should be eaten in moderation to avoid poisoning.
• Marrow: Marrow squash flowers produce a subtle sweet taste. Cooks stuff marrows full of different cheeses and other fillings before being deep fried as a pasta ingredient. Marrow blossoms are also great in soups, scrambled eggs, salads, and omelets.
• Mint: Mint flowers have a zest that adds extra flavor in vegetable and fruit salads. Mint combines well with fresh strawberries, chocolate mousse, and other chocolate goodies. Mint is also a good decoration to flavor lamb chops and other related dishes.
• Onion: Onion flowers provide the traditional onion flavor without the zing of an onion bulb. Onion flowers are great for tossing in salad, and for mixing in a variety of salads.
• Oregano: Oregano flowers are great for Italian-based dishes, such as pizza, pasta, and lasagna. Oregano flowers also add a buttery flavoring to homemade breads.
• Rose: Everybody knows that roses have an aromatic smell. Rose petals also have a delicious flavor that improves cool drinks and fruit dishes. Rose petals are often made into a spread for bread. Rosehips are often made into jellies. In addition, some bakers crystallize the petals to make appealing cake decorations. Remove the white heel from the base of the petal for the best eating.
• Rosemary: Cooks use rosemary flowers to season poultry and pork. Bakers will add rosemary to biscuit dough for flavoring.
• Tulips: Tulip flowers have a sweet flavor with a crispy texture. Cooks stuff whole tulip flowers into a shrimp and chicken salad. Tulip petals are often added to salads and sandwiches for a tinge of color. Always remember to remove the pollen and stigmas from the tulips before stuffing.
• Yucca: The white flower petals provide a sweet, artichoke flavor that acts as a delicious seasoning for salads. Yucca petals are often used as a garnish in some popular entrees.

Follow these links to learn more about edible flowers:

• Edible Flowers Guide
• A “Starter Kit” of Edible Flowers for the Garden and Table (PDF)
• Recipes Using Edible Flowers
• Daylily Recipes
• Berry Parfait With Edible Flowers
• Edible Flowers Recipes
• Edible Flowers
• Quick Facts about Edible Flowers
• Ten Rules of Edible Flowers

Chad Kremp