Edible culinary flowers are useful for a variety of purposes, from cooking to candy making and from salads to decorative presentations on a dinner plate. Find out here which flowers are safe to consume, and get some ideas for their use.
Steps
- Decide what purpose you want edible flowers for. Examples include:
- Salad additions, greens and fruit
- Candied flowers (candied violets, sugared roses or Lavender [[ are delightful old-fashioned sweets)
- Adding to pickles, jams, vinegars, syrups, sugar, etc.
- Cooking baked goods (such as cookies or cakes)
- Desserts, such as ice cream, cheesecake, custards etc.
- Decorative purposes – garnishes for plates, cakes and more
- Familiarize yourself with some of the more common culinary flowers. The following list is not exhaustive but it does give you a good indication of the types of flowers that can be suitable:
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Nasturtiums – these are the perennial favorite for summer salads. Easy to grow, they bring an explosion of color to any salad. They are also good stuffed, crystallized, or as a garnish. They have a slight peppery taste. The seed pods are even used as a replacement for peppercorns and capers. The entire plant is edible.
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Lavender – lavender is ideal for many culinary uses. Uses include tea, cookies, syrup, cake, cheesecake, sorbets, ice cream, jelly, jam, custard, wine, vinegar – the list seems endless. Lavender imparts its own flavor, along with slight tones of citrus.
- Violets – violets are perfect for adding to a range of food, as well as serving decorative purposes. Some ideas include candied violets, violet tea, violet cake and violet syrup. They can be included in salads, vinegar, jelly, butter or flavored spreads or simply used as plate garnish. Look for “viola odorata” or “sweet violet.”
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Rose petals – rose petals are renowned for many culinary uses, such as in syrups, decorations on icing, ice cream, dessert garnishes, jellies, jams, flavored butters, ice cubes and more. Rosewater is a famous use of rose petals.
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Pansies’ – delicate little a Paper flowers that are great adorning salads. Other uses include floating atop a soup, decorating desserts, and garnishing a plate. Don’t neglect to include them in fruit salad as much as any other type of salad. Pansies have slightly sweet flavor.
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Hibiscus – appropriate for salads and for making syrups and some alcoholic beverages. There are cranberry and citrus notes, but it’s slightly acidic, so use sparingly.
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Chive blossoms – these are great for savory dishes and will impart a light onion flavor. Garlic blossoms are also apt and will impart a fresh and light garlic flavor to a salad or dish.
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Marigolds – desirable in salads, where they lend a golden glow.
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Dandelion flowers – delicious addition to salads, provided you pick the flowers when they are young and eat them quickly after picking. They have a sweet flavor, like honey.
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Carnation – has a sweet, nutmeg-like flavor. Suggested for salads and as a garnish.
- Petunias – flowers of ‘Petunia x hybrida,’ or the common garden petunia, has flowers that are mild tasting. Good to use as a garnish.
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- Prepare flowers. There are several things to do before you can use the flowers.
- Harvest the flowers. The best time to harvest flowers is just after the dew has dried, early to mid-morning. Or, early evening can work as well, after the heat of the sun has faded, provided that the flowers appear in good condition. Do not pick in the middle of the day, as the heat can dry out the flavor and cause a drop in both flavor and color.
- Remove stamen and pistil. If these are obvious (usually in larger flowers), remove them. White, pithy parts and any large stamens or pistils are usually bitter and can often be chewy.
- Clean the flowers. Shake the flowers to remove insects, debris, and bits of dirt. Inspect closely to see if the flowers remain dirty and in need of a wash. If so, gently wash with a colander or tea strainer. Carefully use a fine and soft spray of water, as flowers are fragile and bruise easily. If the flower is especially delicate, just a brief soak will suffice.
- Dry on kitchen towels. Arrange on paper towels and allow time to air dry.
- Use your flowers according to the recipe or garnishing needs. Follow your favorite recipe for the flower(s) in question. Search for recipes online or in recipe books, using the flower name for ideas. Once you have tried and tested out some recipes, consider leaving your versions for using edible flowers for culinary purposes on wikiHow. If using flowers to garnish, try different arrangements. It often helps to keep photos of your arrangements to inspire you in the future.
- Find out more about edible flowers. The use of edible flowers is becoming increasingly popular again, after falling out of favor for a time. Get to know the ways in which others are using culinary flowers by reading recipe books, asking a reference librarian, and looking online. You can also learn from such reputable sites as botanical gardens, botanical departments of universities and nurseries.
Tips
- A general rule of thumb is that the flowers of vegetables and herbs are safe to eat. Always check first, however, for as with anything in life, there will always be exceptions. See Warnings below.
- There are many, many more edible flowers than the ones in this list. Some of these include chrysanthemum, day lilies, primrose, gladiolus, jasmine, lilac, basil, peony, and even yucca.
- Flowers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days, provided that they are in a sealed container. Place a moist paper towel at the base of the container.
Wildflowers as far as you can see
