Everything in this salad came from my garden, including the flowers! There’s bidens alba, nasturtiums, radish and borage flowers.
What is more lovely than the scent of a flower? Eating a flower! Edible flowers add beauty and flavor to dishes and drinks. They’re sure to be a conversation piece at a party. When choosing flowers to serve with your meals, follow these simple tips:
Be sure of the variety that you are picking. Some plants, even edible plants, have flowers that are poisonous.
Consider removing the stamen and style from the flower before eating; some people have an allergic reaction when they eat pollen.
Pick flowers in the morning when they are fresh and hydrated. Store them in the refrigerator up to 3 days in a damp paper towel.
Wash the flowers in cool water and shake them to dislodge insects.
Only eat flowers from plants that have not been treated with chemicals and are grown organically.
This list is provided for informational purposes only. Please thoroughly check scientific names of plants, research edibility and obtain proper identifications before consuming.
Nasturtiums come in a variety of colors. Plant them in the fall or early spring. They may survive a while into the summer but generally do not like Florida summers.
Both the leaves and the flowers are edible. The flowers have a peppery taste.
Annual Flowers for Florida:
Pansies
Pea
Marigold
Spanish needle (bidens alba)
Cosmos (cosmos sulphureus – orange and yellow)
Nasturtiums
Radish blossoms
Squash blossoms
Dandelion
Arugula
Calendula
Dill(reseeds easily)
Basil
Borage
Coriander (cilantro)
Chamomile
These delicate pink flowers are from a radish plant. The green seed pods are also edible and very tasty.
Borage flowers can be pink or blue. They sometimes open pink then change to blue.
Arugula flowers attract pollinators. They remind me of antique lace.
Perennial Flowers:
Blue butterfly pea vine is a lovely flowering. The blooms are popular as a tea. You can add citrus juice or hibiscus to change the color of the tea.
This is one of our favorite salad additions. Cranberry hibiscus, also known as false roselle, has a tart flavor.
Ohio spiderwort is a Florida native that happens to be edible.
Hibiscus
Dotted Horsemint (monarda punctata)
Rose
Mint
Violets
Blue butterfly pea vine
Chrysanthemum
Sage
Passionflower (not passiflora subterosa)
Chives
Spiderwort
Like this:
LikeLoading...
Published by Amanda Streets
I have always had a passion for gardening and growing my own vegetables. As a child, my family grew most of our vegetables in our garden and picked wild berries and fruit, canning or freezing the excess, and sharing with friends and family. We never had a lot of money but I had no clue - we ate like royalty because we grew it all! I didn't appreciate the opportunities that I was provided then; I was a child. But I always loved the plants. Now, I see the problems our communities face with food being grown in unhealthy ways, crops shipped from one side of the world to the other, and processed with so many chemicals. I'd like to offer families a way out of this wasteful cycle and a chance to reconnect with nature. Using regenerative permaculture techniques, fruits and vegetables can be grown easily in your own yards. We live in an area with the capacity to produce such bounty. Let's grow together!
View more posts
