Eat Your Flowers

Did you know many varieties of flowers are edible and jam packed with vitamins, minerals and micro nutrients? Placing fresh flowers on your dinner or dessert plate is a way to add beauty and nutrition to your meals. If you are a parent, it may even be a way to get your child to eat a little healthier if they are hesitant about eating vegetables. Flower salad anyone? You probably already knew you could eat dandelions, and if you did not know,
you are welcome.

It brings up an interesting observation about our current culture: a couple of generations ago everyone knew dandelions were edible and they were often gathered as an early spring green. The flowers and greens make a delicious salad when tossed in a vinaigrette. You can also eat them cooked or make the flowers into tea. People losing this kind of basic knowledge of what plants are edible all around them is one of the (many) reasons there are so many people who live in food insecurity today. During the depression, people grew gardens and gathered wild plants. (People also had a myriad of other homesteady type skills which were pretty commonplace back then but do not exist in the general population today.) If they would not have known how to do this their chances of pulling through those hard times would have been very bleak indeed.

A few  precautions: There are many posionous plants out there that, to the untrained eye, may look similar to non edible ones. Similar enough to make a dangerous mistake. Make sure you know what you are eating. I promise with a little practice and some good field guides plant identification becomes easier and and also fun. There is something grounding and rewarding about being able recognize the plants around you. Also, the first time you try eating a new plant it is a good idea to consume only a small amount, in case you have a sensitivity, even if you have never experienced food allergies. Lastly, do not eat plants that have been sprayed with pesticides, forage in a place that you can be sure does not undergo spraying. Read on for more flowers you can easily incorporate into your meals. Click on the images to buy seeds of these beautiful flowers to put in your garden. 

 

 

Borage attracts a variety of pollinators and has a mild cucumbery taste. Sprinkle the flowers on a salad, eat them straight out of the garden, or add them to a Summer drink.

Health benefits: Borage has been used in herbal medicine to treat rheumatoid arthritis, pre menstrual symptom, symptoms of menopause, chest congestion, chronic cough, and depression. 

 

 

Daylily, not to be confused with a Tiger Lily. The two look similar, but a daylily is grown from a tuber and a Tiger Lily is grown from a bulb. Tiger Lilies are poisonous and should not be consumed. From a daylily you can eat the young shoots, the flowers, the closed flower bud, and the tuber. My favorite part is the closed flower bud stir fried.

Health benefits: In traditional chinese medicine daylilies are used to help the body detoxify and to treat insomnia and jaundice. 

 

 

Carnations have an edible petal, that like its sister the rose, tastes better if the white area at the base is removed. They are sweet and work well as a garnish on icecream or cakes, can be candied, or used to make a syrup. They are also tasty sprinkled on salads.

Health benefits: Carnation has been used for the treatment of anxiety, coronary disorders, chest congestion and pain. The oil is used on skin to reduce wrinkles. 

 

Cockscomb is a showstopping edible flower. In Africa  it is a popular leafy green and is called the ‘soko yokoto’ which translates to “makes husbands fat and happy”. The leaves compare to spinach and taste best before the flower blooms, they are tender and and less stringy. In Africa and India this plant is eaten steamed, sauteed and in soups. You can also put them into a smoothie. A single cockscomb flower makes a beautiful garnish.

Health benefits: The leaves are good for stomach upset and can also be made into a dressing for wounds. 

 

 

 

Hollyhocks are beautiful in the garden and the entire plant is edible. Put the colorful flowers in salads and use the young leaves in the same way you would eat spinach. The roots can be eaten but they are not as tender as the mallow plant. They are perrenial in zones 3-8 if you cut off the stalks at the base at the end of the season, or you can leave them to self sew.

Health benefits: The flowers can be used to make a medicinal tea that can ease breathing trouble and digestive problems. Hollyhock can also be applied directly to skin to treat ulcers and inflammation.

 

 

Mallow looks like some sort of squash plant when it emerges, I saw it in our pastures for years before I figured out what it was and that it was edible. The leaves are mild tasting.  They are a bit fibrous, but can be chopped small and mixed in with other salad greens and they blend right in. You could massage like some raw kale salads to soften it up. The greens are also great cooked. The flowers are mild tasting as well and the little fruits have slight nutty flavor. You can even eat the stems and roots.

Health benefits: This plant has an awesome nutrient profile and super high levels of vitamin A and C. It is considered an anti inflammatory is used it traditional herbal medicine as a pain reliever and immune system boost. It is also used to treat kidney stones and indigestion. 

Mallow is considered to be an invasive plant and they tend to grow, well, like a weed, so although they are fun to gather when you see them growing wild, this is not something I recommend sowing in your garden on purpose. That being said, you are a grown up and if you want to grow a garden full of these things, you do you. 

 

 

Nasturtium is one of my favorite edible flowers, I love their unique leaf shape, to me they are reminiscent of some imagined plant in a Dr. Suess inspired world. Their leaves and flower petals have just a hint of spice that liven up a salad. The flowers themselves are beautiful to look at and brighten up any plate. The seeds can be saved and pickled and are used as a substitute for capers.

Health benefits: Nasturtiums are packed full of vitamin c, they are used to improve the immune system, soothe sore throats, colds, and coughs. They have also been used traditionally to treat fungal infections. 

 

 

Pansies, violas, and Johnny jump ups are all edible and all related. They have cheerful, seemingly smiling, little faces that are bursting with bright colors. These flowers an be eaten raw and have what some would describe as a wintergreen flavor, they are very mild. My favorite way to use them is to candy them and turn them into decorations for cakes and cookies. They are also a tasty and beautiful decoration for salads. 

Health benefits: Used for symptoms of arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, and epilepsy. 

 

 

 

Roses have so many possibilities. As a general rule the aroma of a rose is a good indicator of its flavor. Also, cut off the bottom white part of a rose petal before you use it in food as it may impart a bitter flavor. Use rose petals to make rose flavored syrup, oil, or water. Use the petals tossed into a salad or pressed into cookies. I like to add a few to my tea blend.  

Health benefits: Rose can help with sore throats, give headache relief, and improve mood. It also has a variety of topical uses for the skin. It can help to reduce redness, heal cuts, scars and burns, and soothe irritation. 

 

 

 

Hibiscus tea is pretty common so you were probably aware that this was an edible plant, however if you choose to cultivate this plant for edible uses be aware that a there are many different varieties. Make sure the one you are growing is an edible version.

Health benefits: May promote weight loss and lower blood pressure. 

 

 

 

Lavender is something that many people use in their homes every day in the form of essential oil, but the flowers are also edible. I love making them into a syrup and putting it in lemonade or pressing the flowers into vanilla sugar cookies. The flowers of edible herbs, in general , will all be edible, it becomes a choice of what is palatable and aesthetically pleasing to you.

Health benefits: This pretty little purple flower is high in calcium, iron, and vitamin A. It can help to improve eyesight, and may reduce anxiety and depression due to its relaxing properties. 

This is by no means an exaustive list of edible flowers, or ways to prepare them, or the possible medicinal uses for them,  that information could fill a book. Oh wait, I found one. Click here to link to a book that will give you a full on education on the subject. And scroll below to browse some items that may be handy on your journey into edible flowers. All of the links in this article are affiliate links. 

Just a note: I am not a medical doctor. The health benefits mentioned are anecdotal and, although it is awesome to try and be an advocate for your own health, the suggested benefits are not meant to diagnose or prescribe treatment for any illness. 

Are you already using edible flowers on the regular? What are some of your favorites and the yummiest ways you have found to prepare them? We would love to here from you!