Page 6 - North Haven Magazine Issue 24 Summer 2022

Can I Eat That
Flower?

by Sally Brockett
Flowers are used to decorate many things, including rooms,
events, clothing, hair, table settings, and even food on dinner
plates. Do you usually push aside the flower decorating your
plate? Have you ever considering eating it? When dining out,
whatever is on your plate should be edible, so you might like
to try tasting that pretty flower! The following information
will help you know what you can eat, and what you might like Nasturtiums add beauty and nutrition to your salads.
to try using on your own dinner plates.

Safety first! kitchen! Both the flowers and the leaves Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis): These
are edible and have an Earl Grey-like taste large, showy flowers with a subtle sweet,
It is very important to use organic flow- with citrus undertones. It is often used in tart flavor, are good eaten raw or dried. Try
ers and plant material, so it is safe and not homemade butter, teas, and as a garnish infusing them in teas and other drinks and
contaminated with pesticides and herbi- or infused in ice cream. If you remove the use in ice cream and other desserts.
cides. Raising your own flowers gives you dead flowers from the plant, more flowers
confidence about this safety issue because will be produced.
you will know exactly what products have
been used. Calendula (calendula officinalis): Calen-
dulas are yellow, daisy-like flowers that can
Picking and preparing the flowers: Flow- add yellow color to the plate. Pick off the
ers should be picked on a dry, sunny day petals from the flower head and only use
when they are in full blossom but not start- the petals. Depending on the variety, they
ing to wilt. Try to find the perfect blooms can add a spicy, peppery, tangy, or bitter,
so you can enjoy their form and beauty. flavor. They cay be used as a garnish or
Quickly rinse the fresh flowers under gen- added to homemade butter and rice dishes.
tly running cold water to wash off any dirt
and tiny insects. Gently shake the water off Hibiscus hot tea
the blossom. Don’t worry about removing
the pollen as it is good to eat and adds to Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia): Lav-
the flavor. ender is a popular edible flower. It is typi-
cally dried for use in teas, desserts, drinks,
What kinds of flowers are edible? jellies, and marinades. It has a floral, her-
baceous, and sweet flavor, but use spar-
Begonias: All types of begonias are edible, ingly as it can be overpowering. Harvest
but tuberous begonias have superior fla- stalks with flowers a third to half open. Do
vor. Generally, the flavor is tart, lemon-like not wash these flowers. Hang the stalks in
flavor with a crisp texture, although wax Calendula petals create a delicate garnish. bundles upside down to dry in a well-ven-
begonias may be a little more bitter. Add tilated area.
whole flowers to salads or use the petals as Chives (allium schoenoprasum, allium
a garnish. tuberosum): Common chives and garlic
chives are perennials, so they do not need
to be planted each year. Harvest the flow-
ers just after they blossom. Depending on
the variety, they will have either an onion
or garlic flavor. These are often used in
sandwich spreads, homemade butter, sauc-
es, and scrambled eggs.

Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva): There are
many varieties of daylilies, and all parts of
all varieties are edible. The unopened buds
Bee balm has an Earl Grey-like flavor. and petals have a sweet floral taste. The un-
opened buds can be stir-fried in butter or
Bee Balm (monarda didyma): Many oil, and sliced petals can be added to salads
people grow this perennial to attract pol- and soups. Combine lavender and honey for a
linators, but it is also nice to use in your special taste!

North Haven Magazine - Summer Issue 2022
6