edible flowers

Edible Flowers

- good enough to eat!

Every garden should have vividly coloured flowers. Just as flowers for picking are a child’s delight,

flowers for eating

are a chef’s joy. The culinary use of

edible flowers

is a practice that goes back to Roman times, it was popular in Victorian England and in recent years there has been a revival of this nearly lost art.

Stuffed Zuchinni flowers

are today one of the trendiest dishes, and green salads with brightly coloured flower petals are a delight at any BBQ.

It’s quite surprising the delicate flavour flowers can produce. Most herb and vegetable flowers taste mildly the same as the foliage, and fragrant blooms in the garden taste much as they smell.

Flowers are better added as a garnish. Once cooked, they lose their appeal.

Savoury dishes can be decorated with the onion-flavoured flowers of

chives

, garlic flavour of

garlic chives

, tiny pink

flowers of thyme

, white

flowers of basil

, or pale blue

rosemary flowers

.

Salads look spectacular when tossed with peppery

orange nasturtiums

, violet

Johnny jump up

,

rose petals

, scarlet

runner bean flowers

, the nutty flavoured

flowers of snow peas

, (NOT ornamental sweet pea flowers they are

poisonous

), tiny bright blue

forget-me-not flowers

and yellow

marigolds

.

Pastry cooks love violets and rose petals. Brushed with egg white and dusted with castor sugar petals make sensational cake decorations.

For an exotic party drink, freeze creamy white

citrus flowers

,

tiny pansies

,

mint leaves

or

chamomile daisies

into ice cubes.

Warm and iced teas made from

Rose Petals

and other flowers are a great idea too.

To round off the perfect meal serve a cheese dish with a white wine glaze. Dissolve powdered gelatine in a cup of white wine. Allow it to cool in the fridge until thickened. Cover a hard cheddar or soft brie with half the glaze. Arrange your floral design over the cheese and cover with the remaining glaze. Allow to set before serving with crackers.

There are a few very strict rules that should be followed before using blossoms and blooms in your salads and garnishes.

1. Never purchase flowers to eat from a florist. Commercially grown flowers are grown with chemicals and

   pesticides

   .
2. Never harvest flowers from roadsides or parks. You cannot be sure that they have not been contaminated.
3. Never eat a flower if you don’t know what it is. It may be poisonous. Better safe than sorry.
4. Never use chemical sprays or

   fertilisers

   on flowers that you plan to eat.
5. Remember, just as with any food, some flowers may contribute to allergic reactions in some people.
6. Always prepare flowers carefully before serving.
7. Wash well, making sure to remove any hidden insects!
8. Shake and leave to dry on paper towel.
9. Remove

   stamens

   and

   pollen

   from each bloom. Only petals should be used
10. A few flowers can be eaten in their entirety. These include,

    pansies,

    chives

    ,

    violas

    ,

    bean flowers

    ,

    honeysuckle

    and

    violets

    .

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