Edible Flower Blossoms

~ By Gardening Committee Members ~

As Gardeners we grow a lot of flowering plants and so we discussed Edible Flower Blossoms as something different to explore this month. At one time this trend was very popular, especially in the Victorian era and then seemed to fall by the way side. Today the art of cooking or garnishing with flower blossoms is popular once again as you can get a brief idea of below :)

Kythera Ann ~ Marigolds, according to color, heat of the summer and water availability have a range of flavors. So be sure to test a flower before putting in a dish. Marigolds have been called a "poor man's saffron" and that is one of the underlying flavor of this flower. When tasting marigolds one will notice the variables of spiciness (some are downright bitter) and the tanginess/peppery zing. They look so pretty sprinkled on soups and pasta dishes with their yellow to orange petals. They can also be chopped fine and then added to almost any recipe that saffron would be great in!

Final thought, always pick herbs and flowers just before you plan to eat or cook them. Tons of flavor is lost if you let them sit around, and some, like flowers, spoil very quickly and will taste unpleasant.


Aletha ~ I chose Nasturtiums because I think they are so pretty but one thing to remember if you are going to use these in cooking no Chemicals. The whole Nasturtium plant is edible not just the flower and it has a wonderfully peppery flavor similar to watercress and can be used in salads, herb vinegars, as a garnish and their pickled buds can be substituted for more expensive capers.

You can use the seeds for a replacement of Pepper by waiting till they dry and grinding them in a grinder then add this mixture to a savory herb salt to sprinkle on your food. Make sure you keep the mixture in a tightly closed bottle for storing.


Diane ~ Pumpkin Blossoms are an edible flower and there are many ways to prepare them like deep frying; adding them to stuffing; stews; soups and Salads.

Carnations can be steeped in wine, candy, or use as cake decoration. To use the surprisingly sweet petals in desserts, cut them away from the bitter white base of the flower.Dianthus is the miniature member of the carnation family with light clove-like or nutmeg scent. Petals add color to salads or aspics.


Julie ~ Rose Petal Tea can be made from rose hips or rose petals. This tea has a lightly floral taste with a slightly tangy flavor. Garnishing Cheeses like Cheddar; Jack; Brie or Camembert with Edible Flowers can be prepared 24 hours in advance before serving.


Gardnbee ~ One plant that appeared one day in amongst the trees that grow in our outdoor living space was the Ramson (Allium ursinum) a wild garlic also known as Bear's Garlic. The Latin name comes from the Brown Bear's love for the bulbs of these plants. A wild relative to Chives its flowers leaves and bulbs are all edible in varying degrees of mild to strong flavors.

The leaves for example can be boiled as a vegetable much as you would Spinach or Beet Greens; to replace Basil where you would use this Herb such as in Pesto; combined with lettuce in salads; incorporated into soups; etc. The bulbs can be used much as you would domestically grown Garlic and the blossom petals to add mildly sweet garlic flavor to cheese trays; dips; etc. Since every part of this plant is good let your imagination loose :)

Caution: The Leaves of Ramson can be mistaken for Lily-of-the-Valley leaves which if harvested in error can be poisonously deadly to ingest. The difference between the two can be as simple as taking a leaf and crushing between your fingers; the Ramson leaf will emit a distinct Garlic aroma; noticing that the Ramson leaves grow on individual green stems as compared to the leaves of Lily-of-the-Valley which grow on single purple stems.

If you are unfamiliar with what you are harvesting in the wild, best just admire and move on while keeping to what you know.

         

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