Edible flowers add a beautiful and fresh touch to any meal and they taste great too. Read on for a breakdown for picking and using edible flowers!
Basic Tips
Always look out for flowers labelled ‘foodsafe.’ You can get them from the store or the market. Don’t consume flowers from florists.
If you choose to harvest wild flowers, avoid those from the roadside that may have been polluted. Also, check for allergies by consuming in moderation.
Growing Edible Flowers
You can grow your own edible flowers but be sure to avoid the use of fungicides, insecticides or herbicides. Such chemicals make them unsafe for eating.
Before you eat them, brush off dirt or critters. You can use a pastry brush. Be careful when removing the styles and stamen before using the petals. Trim the white parts of the petal because they will be bitter. You can also store the flowers you won’t use right away in a resealable container.
The Best Edible Flowers to Decorate With
Some of these flowers grow atop and are seasonal. All of them are tasty and can be sprinkled on salads, scattered over scalloped potatoes or pickled in a pickle brine. Check them out!
- Chive
- Lavender
- Elderflower
- Pansy
- Nasturtium
- Zucchini and summer squash
- Basil
- Borage
