Lynn Smythe
Edible Flowers
January 4th 2008 17:56
Nasturtium in Bloom
John Gerard, The Herbal, 1633
Menu
Floral ice cubes
Stuffed daylily blossoms
Lavender infused applesauce
Creamy Floral omelet
Rose petal scones with rose petal honey and confetti butter
Tropical chicken salad with mangoes and pineapple sage
Fruit salad with sweet violets
Introduction
Calling all macho men. You too can eat flowers and live to tell the tale. My husband (AKA Mr. Meat and Potatoes) has eaten an assortment of edible flowers that I pick fresh from my organic garden in a variety of my original culinary creations. All that's needed to complete this festive meal is a vase of fresh flowers to decorate your table.
My husband and I like to entertain quite often at our house. We host a variety of brunch, lunch and dinner parties throughout the year that we invite our friends and family to. I like to feature foods that incorporate some of the herbs, flowers and vegetables that I have growing in my organic garden. It's particularly inspiring if you invite your guests outdoors into your garden to help you harvest the flowers fresh from the field which will then be featured as part of their meal.
I like to allow my guests to pick out the exact types of lettuces, herbs and flowers that they want to have added to their own individual appetizer size salads. After cleaning off the greens I add each guests salad ingredients to a small salad bowl. Prior to serving I let each of my guests add the dressing of their choice to their bowl of salad. Then they can enjoy sprinkling the petals of the edible flowers they have chosen on top of their salad. If you toss the flowers along with the dressing they may become soggy before your guests have a chance to enjoy their salad. This article includes recipes featuring edible flowers that can be served along with the salad for a complete floral themed party.
When using edible flowers in any of these recipes makes sure they are free of any dirt or insects. You should be able to brush off any debris that may be present with a soft cloth such as a dry paper towel. See the safety precautions section of this article to familiarize yourself with the rules for using edible flowers in your own recipes.
Types of Edible Flowers
The top 10 ornamental plants with edible flowers that I like to cook with are:
Borage (Borago officinalis)
Clove pinks (Dianthus caryophyllus)
Daylilies (Hemorocallis fulva)
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus)
Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans)
Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis)
Roses (Rosa spp.)
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus)
Sweet violets (Viola odorata)
Most herbs with edible leaves also produce flowers which can be used in a variety of culinary creations. Some of my favorite herb flowers to use in my recipes are basil (Ocimum spp.), dill (Anethum graveolens), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), mint (Mentha spp.) and garlic chives (Allium tuberosum).
The Recipes
Floral Ice Cubes
Place an ice bucket full of these decorative ice cubes on your buffet table. Serve them along with a variety of cold drinks such as iced tea, lemonade, limeade and fruit punch.
Water
Ice cube trays
Edible flowers and flower petals
Fill each section of 4 ice cube trays half way with water. Add a small edible flower or a few edible flower petals to each section. Fill each section to the top with water. Place the trays in the freezer until the ice cubes are frozen.
Stuffed Daylily Blossoms
Daylilies are a wonderful food source. The unopened flower buds, opened blossoms and even the roots can all be used in a variety of culinary recipes. Dried daylily petals, sometimes referred to as golden needles, are used in Asian style cooking such as hot and sour soup.
15 daylily blossoms
Two (8 ounce) packages cream cheese - room temperature
2 tablespoons chive blossoms - broken into individual florets
¼ cup chives - snipped with scissors
2 teaspoons onion powder
Lettuce leaves
Remove the interior portions (i.e. pistils and stamens) of each daylily blossom being careful not to tear the petals. A pair of tweezers may be helpful to perform this step. Add the softened cream cheese to a small mixing bowl. Thoroughly stir in the chive florets, chives and onion powder. Carefully spoon approximately 1 ½ tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture into each of the daylily blossoms. Place the stuffed blossoms onto a serving platter that has been lined with lettuce leaves. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 15 stuffed blossoms.
The entire article, A Variety of Culinary Creations Featuring Edible Flowers, can be found on the Associated Content website.
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Comment by Techno
Geeky Blog
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If you take up the challenge and let her know who's post you commented on under the terms of the challenge she'll come over and comment (vote) for you.
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techno, the geek
Comment by Simon Ellis-Jones
I'm only just new to exfoliating, so give me some time to begin my flower eating career.
Very interesting.
Comment by Joanne Fedler
I so adore flowers, and always thought they could only be enjoyed by the senses of seeing and touching and smelling, but opening up the sense of taste is a whole new dimension. Flowers are so sensual, I sometimes feel it is a desecration to eat them - do you know what I mean? Yet the other day I made fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with feta cheese and swooned along with my guests. They were sublime.
Thanks for this very informative post,
Take care
Jo
Comment by AmyHuang
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