Edible Flowers

I”m a big fan of using edible flowers and have been baking, and cooking, with them for a long time.  Flowers add subtle flavors, beautiful colors and make most things a little more special.  

The list of edible flowers is actually rather extensive.  The edible flowers  listed below include my favorites but is certainly not a comprehensive list.  Of course, if in doubt it’s best to not eat someting that you aren’t sure is 100% safe!

 Roses, Peonies, Nasturtium, Borage, Chives, Basil Flowers, Jasmine, Violet, Lavender, Dandelion, Elderflower, Geranium, Honeysuckle, Daisy, Clover, Cornflower, Hibiscus, Chamomile, Lilac

When using edible flowers it’s important to know where they came from.  As we have a large garden where I intentionally grow edible flowers, and we grow flowers in our field, I have access to a wide assortment.  Therefore, I use my edible flowers with abandon knowing that they haven’t been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides.  I would not use any flowers from a nursery, nor the roadside, as the potential for them having been sprayed is too high.  I don’t often see edible flowers in grocery stores but Whole Foods does carry a basic selection of pansies and violas.  Of course, many are easy to grow from seed, even in pots!  

Again, don’t eat anything that you are not 100% sure is edible.  Also, stick to just the petals as not all parts of edible flowers are always safe to eat.

I’ve found several cookbooks that are specifically great for incorporating flowers. Not every recipe I’ve tried has been a keeper, and in fact, I can’t recommend one beautiful book because I’ve had more fails than successes!  

 My newest book, The Art of Edible Flowers by Rebecca Sullivan is a petite book that has all sorts of fun recipes in it that make you want to try each one.  While I cannot say that enjoyed the Rose and Tumeric Latte, I can say that the Rose Marshmallows coated in Lavender Chocolate was a resounding success in our household and beautiful too!

Food with Friends: The Art of Simple Gatherings by Leela Cyd is not specifically a cookbook about flowers but she routinely uses flowers in her recipes.  We often make the Lemon Lavender French Toast and it’s soooo good!  

 

If you would like to learn more about edible flowers, and growing them, I recommend you pick up a copy of Kathy Brown’s, The Edible Flower Garden.  In this book Kathy covers choosing, growing and cooking with edible flowers.  While it’s not really a beautiful book, it’s publication date is 1999 so it feels a bit dated, it’s chock full of information.

The same goes for Edible Flowers & Leaves, by D.&P. Gramp.  The small paperback is park of the Culinary Library and covers the history of edible flowers, preservation and storage, descriptions of the flowers and leaves and even has a small recipe section.  Again, it’s a very straight forward book, without pictures, but it’s incredibly informative.  

As this blog progresses, I hope to share some favorite recipes that include flowers.  If you have a favorite please share in the comments!