Edible flowers

Flowers have been eaten for thousands of years, the Romans used them in cooking, as did the Chinese and Middle Eastern cultures.  The Victorians used them to garnish dishes and decorate cakes.  Some spices we use today are made from flowers, cloves are dried aromatic flower buds and saffron is tiny stigmas from crocus flowers, hand-picked and dried.  Flowers can be tasty and nutritious, as well adding colour and texture to dishes.

There are many uses for edible flowers including decorations, cakes, jams, infused oils, syrups, flavoured butter, cocktails, wine, flavoured spirits, scented sugar and crystallised flowers.  Many edible flowers are high in vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamins A and C.

Don’t eat cut flowers purchased from shops as they will most likely have had pesticides used on them.  The easiest way to make sure flowers are pesticide free is to grow them yourself.  Pick flowers at their peak and use them the same day, harvest flowers early in the day and only use flowers free from diseases.  Gently shake the flower heads to remove any insects and carefully wash them.

There are many edible flowers including carnations, apple blossom, hibiscus, chives, dill, fennel, lavender, gardenia, primrose, impatiens, rose, nasturtium, runner bean, marigold, snap dragon, pea flower, calendula, violet, borage, phlox, cornflower and mint.

If you’re not green fingered and would rather buy your edible flowers, First Leaf specialise in growing edible flowers.  Based in Pembrokeshire National Park, they sell grow a variety of edible flowers and leaf garnishes.  The flowers are packaged in punnets and shipped overnight in insulated boxes.

There are also a number of poisonous flowers commonly grown in gardens.  They are sometimes mentioned in murder mystery novels, James Bond was poisoned in Casino Royale with Digitalis, which is foxglove.  The following flowers are toxic (although not a complete list) and should never be consumed, monkshood, anemone, clematis, lily of the valley, larkspur, bleeding heart, euphorbia, hyacinth, jasmine, sweet pea, foxglove, daffodil, poppy, mistletoe, columbine, hydrangea, lupin, hypericum, rhododendron and calla lily.

If you’d like to see a comprehensive list of edible plants please click here

To enjoy edible flowers safely follow these guidelines:

Only eat flowers you are certain are edible.

Introduce flowers slowly to your diet in case of allergies, especially if you have hay fever or asthma.

Eat your own home grown produce or products sold as edible plants.

Images:

Edible flower salad – yummly.com

Mixed edible flowers – firstleaf.co.uk