GARDEN IDEAS
Edible Flowers
There are hundreds of edible flowers you can grow in your garden. However, you must be 110% sure they're edible before you eat them! Some garden flowers such as crocus, foxglove, clematis, azalea, mistletoe are HIGHLY POISONOUS and should never be taken internally.
If you're allergy-prone, introduce very small amounts of flowers into your diet - one at a time.
Most herbs produce flowers you can eat. They are usually slightly milder in flavour than the main plant ( leaves and stem ).
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Edible Herb Flowers Include:
Borage
Chives
Dandelion
Lavender
Lemon verbena
Marigold
Nasturtium
Sunflower seed - only the seed is edible - NOT the flower
Thyme
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All of these edible flowers can be used to garnish salads. Find more herb ideas here.
All parts of the dandelion plant are usable. The milky sap from the stem is a good cure for warts and verucas. The young leaves can be eaten in salads or cooked as spinach and the flowers can be made into a delicious jam. They are very high in vitamins and minerals and can be collected for free for many months of the year! Before you cut the lawn and throw all the dandelions on the compost heap, consider picking them first!
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Lots of flowers and flowering herbs can be infused in boiling water and drunk as tisane. Regular lawn daisies help relieve stress and a few young bramble ( blackberry ) leaves will give your immune system a boost. Thyme and lemon balm will help prevent colds and relieve cold symptoms. Lavender flowers and oil have been used medicinally as well as in the kitchen for generations.
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Thompson and Morgan (UK) have an amazing range of seeds and plants available. Grab a cuppa and browse through their illustrated catalogue and choose the edible flowers you like! Nasturtiums are a wonderful flower to grow at home..
Variegated climbing Nasturtiums. Available in a balanced mixture of yellows, reds, creams and peach/pinks with foliage which is attractively marbled and striped with cream, against a light green background. They make fantastic, dramatic container and basket plants or simply use them for effective ground cover.
Do you have edible flowers lurking in the back garden right now?
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Other edible garden flowers include:
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*broccoli - after the broccoli floret comes the edible flowers- leave a few on the plant and use the tiny yellow flowers in stir frys and salads
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*carnations - add to wine, sweets, and use as cake decorations
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*elderflower - make elderflower champagne from the flowers - make it non-alcoholic for a refreshing summer drink ( and full of vitamins! )
*honeysuckle - flowers taste of honey and can be eaten raw and added to wines and desserts. honeysuckle berries are highly poisonous - DO NOT EAT
*jasmine - jasmine flowers are normally used to make tea. Simply steep the flowers in boiling water and strain.
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*roses - Rose petals can be used to garnish desserts, flavour ice cream or add to jams. Rose hips ( a great source of vitamin C ) can be made into rose hip syrup or wine.
*violets - Sprinkle a few violet flowers into a salad. They have a slightly perfumed taste. Violet flowers are traditionally crystalized and used as cake decorations.
Edible flowers are a stylish addition to any meal. The Romans used them to garnish their banquets 2000 years ago! Many restaurants will have a variety of edible flowers to garnish their more elegant meals.
You can grow them in your garden, backyard or window box!
NB: Never use pesticides or chemicals on plants you intend to eat.