Edible Flowers

Flowers are so versatile. They add colors to gardens and they add colors to our homes through bouquets. Flowers can also add color to beverages, food, and desserts. There are many edible flowers and the bonus is there are a lot of them that grow well in containers so you get double the benefits: color outside and color on your food. When choosing flowers to eat make sure they are edible and that they haven't been sprayed with chemicals. Make sure to give the flowers a good wash before using them. If the edible flower has a large calyx (base), remove the petals, as the calyx usually does not enhance the flower flavor.

Nasturtium has a spicy and peppery flavor. It is a  is a cousin of the Brassica family. Both the flowers and leaves are edible.

Calendula has a slightly bitter flavor. The flavors range from spicy to bitter, tangy to peppery. Only the petals are edible. Calendula comes in a range of citrusy colors, reds, and white.

Borage has a mild cucumber-like flavor. Plants produce tons of blue/purple flowers. When I'm in the garden I will often stop by the borage plant and chow down on the flowers, they are so delicious. The leaves are edible, but I find them to be to prickly to be enjoyable.

Red Gem Marigold also know as Tagetes tenuifolia. The flavor is spicy and citrusy (lemony). The flowers and leaves are both edible.

Viola's and pansies  has a mild wintergreen flavor . The colors are vibrant and pretty up salads and add colorful decorations to desserts. Both the leaves and flowers are edible.

Bee Balm The flowers (and the young leaves) have a strong flavour of mint with undertones of citrus and oregano.  There are a couple of different types of bee balm and each one will have a slightly different flavor. I grow Lemon Bee Balm and it belongs to the mint family. I also grow Panorama Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) which has orange (citrusy) flavor and is perfect for a cup of tea.

Uses:

• Freeze petals in ice cubes and use the ice cubes to flavor lemonades, ice teas, or water.

• Use petals to jazz up water.

• Herb butters

• Salads

• Use as garnishes

• Hot teas

Johnny's seeds has a really nice poster showing edible flowers and giving ideas on how to use edible flowers.