If you’ve been here for almost any sort of time, you know that I love cooking and baking with edible flowers. I just think it makes all meals prettier and tastier. I’m very aesthetically driven, so I appreciate the beauty it adds! Also, there is evidence that edible flowers do provide some anti-inflammatory benefits and antioxidants. Beauty and health, what more could we ask for?
I’m drying a fair amount of flowers this year in the hopes that I can use them throughout the winter! Also, I’m playing around with the idea of perhaps growing, and drying, edible flowers to sell in the future. Of note, I actually prefer to use dried lavender instead of fresh. I just find it’s a nice flavor without the astringent taste I sometimes get with the fresh.
It’s important to note that not every flower is edible (Foxglove and Larkspur are two big no nos) and that I never use flowers I haven’t grown because I know that they haven’t been sprayed with any sort of pesticide or herbicide. My favorite edible flowers include: rose petals, cornflowers, violets, lavender, lilacs, nasturtiums, marigolds and elderflowers. This is in no way an extensive list but rather my favorites to work with. I also grow, and use, calendula, chamomile and borage!
I’ve been making floral jams for several years now and I love how they add to a charcuterie board or as a gift along with some sourdough. My favorite jelly to make is probably violet, it’s just so beautiful and special because there is such a limited time that it can be made. Rose petal jelly is also a favorite.
For a dinner celebration in honor of Grace having graduated from University, we made homemade lavender and shortbread ice cream sandwiches. The shortbread was a nod to Scotland, where she attended St Andrews, and the Lavender and Honey Ice cream was made with our lavender and honey! We packaged them up in Kraft paper bags and closed them with a sprig of lavender. This made it easy to pass them out at the end of the evening. I also made a flower sorbet (top photo) that would be gorgeous at a garden party!
I’ve also been using edible flowers in savory dishes too! Cornflower petals are beautiful atop basmati rice, a sprinkling of petals make a salad look beautiful and rose petals look gorgeous in my granola.
Elderflowers are also a favorite. One of my very favorite things that I make, without fail, every single June, is Elderflower Cordial. A little bit in the bottom of a glass and topped with cold fizzy water is my perfect drink. I’ve also cooked with elderflowers, making fritters for atop a salad and with potatoes, where it added a nice, subtle flavor.
Let me know what your favorite edible flower is!
