Tossed in salads, fried as fritters, stuffed with savory cheese, sautéed lightly, candied delicately with sugar or added as an herbal seasoning into jellies and jams, spreads and dips or dressings and sauces, edible flowers can be way more than a garnish.

With their colorful blossoms and sweet to peppery tastes, edible flowers are a quick way to add an extra touch to salads, entrees and desserts. In last week’s Peoria Journal Star, Jennifer Davis gives us a primer on how to get started.

It’s is really important to know that not all flowers are edible. It could be because some are pretty out in the sunshine, but they may not taste great or they could even be poisonous. That’s why it’s important to know your petals. Plus, as many experts will point out, if you suffer from any kind of seasonal allergies, you might want to proceed with caution. You can remove pistils, stamens and sepals to reduce reactions. Also, the petal base of many blooms can be slightly bitter and cooks recommend removing it.

As for selecting and harvesting edible flowers, it’s typically recommend that you grow your own. That way, you know the tasty buds are chemical free. While it’s probably obvious, you shouldn’t trust flowers from florists, nurseries, garden centers or those growing wild as most of these have probably been sprayed with a pesticide at some point in their blooming lives.

One of the easiest ways we’ve found to grow select edible flowers is to utilize containers. This helps control light, water and exposure to the elements. It is also important to know when to harvest these buds and blossoms: after the morning dew has dried off and when the flowers are at their peak, but not fully opened.

It is also important to note that some flowers like chrysanthemums, lavender buds, roses and tulips that only the petals are safe to consume.

As for storing edible flowers, these buds, blossoms and petals are not only fragile but highly perishable. While herb companies sell packs of edible flowers alongside packets of herbs in the produce aisle, it is still best to grow and consume your own. This will ensure the best looking flowers and the freshest taste. Snips, tweezers and a small pairing knife can help you you’re your flowers the easiest. You might also consider keeping a bowl of cold water and a layer of toweling nearby for rinsing and blotting them dry.

During the spring, violets, violas and pansies are prime picks for decorating cakes, tartlets and custards. When warmer weather arrives, try adding nasturtium blossoms and marigold petals to summer salads. For stuffing and either sautéing or roasting, try squash blossoms or even daylily buds (with the stamen removed).

Did you know?

• Broccoli, cauliflower and artichoke are actually flowers.
• One of the world’s most expensive spices, saffron, are the dried stigmas of crocus flowers
• Cloves and capers start their lives as flowers
• Hops flowers make beer
• And if we didn’t have bees and flowers, we wouldn’t have honey

To Read:
Edible Flower Garden by Rosalind Creasy
This book on edible flowers will help you grow, identify, cook and prepare edible flowers.

Copyright 2008.