Have you ever considered adding a touch of elegance and flavor to your dishes with edible flowers? From the delicate daisy to the vibrant pansy, these blooms can take your meals from ordinary to extraordinary. In this article, we’ll explore 11 of our favorite edible flowers that will awaken your taste buds and impress your guests.
Daisy: Bellis perennis
Common daisies, with their subtly flavored petals, make a stunning garnish for savory dishes like sandwiches, soups, and salads. For an extra special touch, freeze daisy flowers in ice cubes or float them in drinks. Your eyes and taste buds will thank you.
You're reading: 11 Edible Flowers: Transform Your Meals with Floral Delights
Chamomile: Matricaria chamomilla
While known for its soothing herbal tea, chamomile also boasts aromatic and apple-flavored flowers that can elevate your cakes, biscuits, bread, and puddings. Sprinkle these delightful blossoms onto salads and soups and watch as your next meal transforms from drab to fab.
Dahlia
The versatile flavor of dahlia can range from water chestnut to spicy apple, depending on the soil and growing conditions. Regardless, a dish enhanced with dahlia is sure to be Instagram-worthy. Add these pretty flowers to salads, float them in drinks, or use them as decoration for your favorite desserts.
Dianthus
Dress up your culinary creations with edible dianthus. Also known as pinks or carnations, dianthus has a clove-like taste that adds zest to ice cream, sorbet, fruit salad, seafood, and even stir-fries. Scatter the vibrant petals in drinks or on salads and soups for a colorful and flavorful garnish.
Lavender: Lavandula
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A touch of lavender can effortlessly elevate a run-of-the-mill meal to a five-star feast. With its fragrant flavor, lavender can be used in biscuits, cakes, ice cream, jam, scones, shortbread, and much more. If you’re a fan of lamb, you’ll find that lavender pairs beautifully with this meat too.
Marigold: Tagetes
Infuse your cooking with color and a saffron-like flavor by incorporating marigold flowers. These golden-hued blossoms add vibrancy to stews, stir-fries, rice, salads, soups, pasta, scrambled eggs, and omelets. Embrace the peppery notes of marigold, known as the poor man’s saffron, and let your taste buds dance.
Nasturtium: Tropaeolum
With its sweet yet peppery flavor reminiscent of radishes, nasturtium brings pizzazz to any dish. Stuff these vibrant flowers with a delicious filling and steam or fry them, or mix them with chives to enhance potato salad. The warm colors of nasturtium flowers are guaranteed to impress your guests.
Pansies: Viola tricolor var. hortensis
Why settle for cherries when you can adorn your dishes with colorful pansies? These mild, sweet, and grassy-flavored flowers can be used as garnishes for salads, soups, hors d’oeuvres, or crystallized to create stunning dessert decorations. Give your meals a burst of visual appeal with these versatile edible flowers.
Snapdragon: Antirrhinum
Add some flower power to your culinary creations with snapdragon. With flavors reminiscent of chicory, snapdragons are a fantastic addition to savory dishes like salads and canapés. Stuff them with cream cheese or guacamole for a unique hors d’oeuvre. Plus, their ability to hold onto a glass makes them ideal for cocktails.
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Bright, fragrant, and sweet, stock flowers will make your next meal truly bloom with beauty. Similar to radishes, these petals have a peppery taste that makes them perfect for salads or as a garnish. For an enchanting twist, crystallize the petals and watch your sweet creations take center stage.
Viola
Violas are a favorite among floral foodies. These dainty flowers have a subtle fragrance and a mild violet flavor, making them suitable for both sweet and savory dishes. Scatter a handful of violas on top of a salad, freeze them in ice cubes, or crystallize them for your next dessert masterpiece.
Picking and Storing Edible Flowers
To ensure the freshness and quality of your edible flowers, pick them in the late afternoon or early evening, or in the morning after the dew has dried. Store the flowers in a sealed plastic container, lined with paper towels, in the crisper section of your fridge. This way, you’ll have a wonderful supply of edible blooms ready to enhance your meals.
Edible Flower Growing Tips
Growing edible flowers doesn’t require any special care. They simply need plenty of sunshine and well-draining soil (although nasturtiums and violas can cope with part-sun). Just remember to avoid using non-organic sprays when cultivating these beautiful blossoms.
A Word of Caution
When using edible flowers, it’s crucial to only select those specifically grown for consumption. You can find all of the flowers mentioned above in edible form at your local Flower Power, ensuring that your floral additions are safe and suitable for culinary use.
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Category: Safe Plants
