Edible Flowers

by Melissa T. Shultz

Many of the flowers we admire for their beauty are often edible. Flower cookery has been traced back to Roman times and was especially popular in the Victorian era. Determining what flowers are edible however, is best left to the experts. The game of trial and error can prove deadly as many are poisonous or laced with chemicals. Here are some rules to guide you:

Try only small quantities and one at a time. Your digestive system may revolt otherwise.

If you have allergies, introduce edible flowers gradually, since they can aggravate them.

There is a huge list of flowers that are not edible, but some of the most common include: daffodils, buttercups, delphinium, foxglove, lily of the valley, periwinkle, oleander and sweet pea.

Buy edible flowers from your grocery store’s produce department. Never buy from a florist or greenhouse or pick them from the road, since you can’t be sure of what you are getting, or what they were treated with.

You can grow edible flowers at home. Did you know for instance, that broccoli florets (the top portion of broccoli) are actually flower buds? In time, they will bloom into a bright yellow flower you can eat. Other good choices to grow at home are: pansies, roses, scented geraniums, tulips, violets, scented geraniums, day lilies and dianthus marigolds. In addition, if you grow herbs, you can eat the blossoms from lavender, chives, oregano, sage and thyme.

To store the flowers, put the stems in water, or for short-stemmed flowers, put them in plastic bags or between damp paper towels and keep in the refrigerator.

Before eating, wash the flowers well and pat them dry. Then remove the stamens, pistils and sepals and consume only the petals.

Sources: Whatscookingamerica.net; The American Dietetic Association