Baby’s breath, roses, lavender – braided into locks of curls or in perfume on the neck. Flowers are associated with decoration, but did you know you could eat them as well? The gorgeous colors have many phytonutrients and add exotic flavors and a unique garnish to a variety of dishes. Here are some examples of flowers that you can eat!
Borage
Brilliantly blue-purple and star-shaped, Borage is a dazzling accent to something as simple as an ice cube. Imagine a hot summer day, sitting on your porch with the buzz of summer around you, and a sweating, cold glass of pink lemonade next to you. The flowers, frozen into ice cubes, float lazily around the top of the glass. Due to the high pH (acidity) of lemon juice the flowers will turn the blue-purple anthocyanins in the flower to a light pink!
Nasturtiums
Often dashing red accents to the front porch or a garden, Nasturtiums are an often overlooked delicacy to a plate. The lily-pad-shaped leaves have a peppery flavor, which can be tossed into a salad for a unique bite. Use the bright red flowers to add an elegant and romantic touch to the top of the dish that is sure to wow any guests!
Calendula
You’ve probably heard of Calendula, but most people use it as a gel for itches and burns. However, these buttery gold or bright orange flowers can also be eaten. Roll them into spring rolls to add flecks of color – you can even mix them into cornbread or muffins as a natural food coloring.
Fiori di Zucca
A golden yellow flower with a romantic sounding name (say it with me: fee-YORE-ee dee zoo-CAH), which basically means zucchini flower in Italian. For many years, Italians have been eating this delicacy. If you garden at home, pick the male flowers off your zucchini or pumpkin plants (the ones NOT growing vegetables). The best way to eat them is to stuff them with a mozzarella ball, dip them in egg whites, batter them and fry the stuffed flower. Can you say: la dolce vita?
Lavender
A popular scent, Lavender is also an exotic and airy floral flavor that grows easily in any garden. Lavender grows on thin stalks, studded with tiny purple flowers. To use Lavender in cooking, pick off the tiny flowers to use in baked goods or dry the purple flower buds and blend them into sugar. From there use the lavander sugar to make shortbread cookies, or a simple syrup to top vanilla ice cream!
Rose
Delicate and enchanting, Roses are typically thought of as a gift, but they can also be eaten! I love using Roses to top cakes and cupcakes. Simply let the roses dry, and paint them with egg whites. Then, dip the flower in caster sugar, and let it dry before decorating your dessert!
Pineapple Weed (Wild Chamomiles)
Pineapple Weed is a small flower related to the Chamomile plant that typically grows in the oddest places, such as sandy soils and sidewalk cracks. The tiny yellow flowers have a fragrant aroma of pineapple. They are best used after being dried. From there, the buds can be pulsed in a food processor with sugar. The sugar takes on a sweet pineapple flavor, which can be used in shortbread cookies or lemonade. If you want to be fancy, use the sugar to make a simple syrup for a mocktail or cocktail!
While flowers are certainly fun to eat – I want to leave a disclaimer that I am not encouraging you to make a snack out of the flower box at school. Before eating any flowers, make sure that they are of the correct variety. All the varieties above can be eaten, but some types of flowers look alike but can cause gastric distress. Also, beware of flowers that have been treated with pesticides or fertilizers, causing them to be toxic when consumed. The best way to find edible flowers to eat is to grow them yourself or try releasing your inner cottage core and purchasing flowers at a local farmers market.
Here’s to watching your plate “bloom” in a new and vibrant way.