When you're planning your garden, make sure you include some of these edible blooms to dress up your dishes and elevate your desserts.
Any good cook knows that appreciating a good meal starts with your eyes. Forget the curly kale when it comes to garnishes and reach for some of these gorgeous blossoms instead.
1. Marigolds
Not only are flowers edible, but they also do double duty as critter repellants when you plant them around your vegetables. Their spicy scent is intoxicating on a buttercream-frosted cake, and you can press individual petals onto goat cheese on a charcuterie board.
Photo by Dids (Pexels)
2. Roses
Everyone's favorite perennial also features edible petals! Use the blossoms whole to decorate desserts, or candy the petals with a bit of egg white and powdered sugar. Be sure to check the underside of the green sepals for any apids or other clingy pests before you pick your roses. They can be easy to miss!
Photo by Valeria Boltneva (Pexels)
3. Nasturtium
These colorful flowers will add a peppery bite to your salads and flatbreads. Simply sprinkle them on top just before you're ready to serve so that they don't get bruised.
Courtesy of Burpee
4. Squash Blossoms
Long before the female flowers turn into squash or zucchini, you can harvest male squash blossoms to stuff and fry. Just look for the blooms that have a straight stem with no bulge. Remove the central stamen and tuck a small ball of Boursin or goat cheese in the center before dipping the whole thing into a tempura batter and frying. Sublime!
5. Chive Flowers
These pretty purple blooms lend an aromatic onion flavor, so keep them for your savory dishes. Simply plant a pot of chives and let them bolt, then snip off the blossoms. Sow the seeds every couple of weeks to have a constant supply throughout the growing season.
Photo by Chiaroscuro (Pexels)
If you do grow some of these delicious flowers, be sure to skip the sprays and insecticides. Pick the blossoms just before you want to use them, and give them a quick, gentle rinse before laying them on a paper towel to dry.
What edible flowers do you enjoy, and how do you like to use them? Let us know in the comments.
