FLOWER POWER: DELICIOUS BLOOMS FOR YOUR GARDEN

Blossoms can generate a profusion of sensory experiences by providing us a wealth of color, fragrance and texture in our gardens.  Flowers, long touted for their edible and medicinal attributes, have stimulated our taste buds from ancient China through the Middle Ages to current day.  Throughout history, blooms have become a symbol of wealth and leisure, and used to represent love and romance, birth and death.  As gardeners and floral enthusiasts, many of us enjoy feasting our eyes on blossoms throughout the seasons, yet deny our palates of the long treasured culinary experience blooms present.  Blossoms have been used to enhance a variety of meat and vegetarian dishes, and  can also compliment a meal as a quenching drink or delicious dessert.  Cooking with edible flowers will open our eyes and mouths to a cornucopia of new scents, sights, tastes and textures.  Many of the blooms used for the kitchen garden originate from plants that can also help to improve curb appeal in our landscapes.  From trees and shrubs, to perennials, vines and annuals, most plants bearing edible blossoms are locally available and easy to grow organically.

We are fortunate to have so much recorded history about edible blooms.  These ancient records have provided us a glimpse into medieval dining.  Cooking with flowers reconnects us with our foremothers and forefathers, and enables us to enjoy some of the same culinary delights they may have enjoyed. Candied flowers, for example, have long been used to decorate cakes, cookies, ice cream and hors d’ oeuvres.  Floral wines, liqueurs and brandies were popular spirits for social gatherings, but also well known for their health-giving tonic qualities.  Blossom butter, flower sugar, floral oils and vinegar were other favorites, and easy but effective ways to capture the essence of sweet flowers such as rose, lavender, mint and violets. An otherwise green salad can  benefit greatly from the addition of blossoms by enhancing color, flavor, texture, nutrition and fragrance.

Flowers should be harvested on warm dry mornings to optimize essential oil retention.  Proper identification is important when harvesting edible blooms, because many flowers are poisonous, while others simply taste unpleasant.   Those with pollen allergies should avoid edible flowers.  When harvesting edible flowers, even those without allergies should take preventative measure to remove all reproductive organs (pistils and stamens) from the flower and any green parts at the base of the flower.  Typically, only the petals of flowers are edible. Blossoms that may attract tiny insects can be soaked in salt water and then lightly shaken to remove the pests.  When growing plants for their edible flowers, avoid using chemical pesticides because blooms are absorbent, and will  uptake the chemicals.  Organically grown plants are better for the environment, and safer for human and animal health.  It is far more productive to strengthen your desired edible plants immunities with organic compost and fertilizer, than to weaken undesired weeds and pests with toxic chemicals.

For your convenience, edible flowering plants have been listed and grouped by their most basic characteristic.  The edible flowers, as assembled below, are categorized as trees, shrubs, perennials, herbal, vegetable, ornamental annual, vine or weed. 

TREES: Apple Tree, Redbud, Black Locust
SHRUBS: Rose-of-Sharon, Elderberry, Rose Acacia, Lilac, Rose
PERENNIAL: Bee Balm, Daylily, Yarrow, Sweet Woodruff, Cheddar Pinks, Tiger Lily, Tulips, Anise Hyssop, Catmint, Evening Primrose, Valerian, Lady’s Mantle
HERBAL: Chamomile, Chives, Dill, Fennel, Lavender, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Mint, Basil, Peppermint, Marjoram, Lemon Verbena, Coriander, Greek Oregano, Borage
VEGETABLE: Broccoli, Peas, Runner Beans, Radish, Squash, Okra, Zucchini
ORNAMENTAL ANNUAL: Tuberous Begonia, Calendula, Marigold, Nasturtiums, Scented Geraniums, Pansies, Hollyhocks, Sunflowers, Fuchsia
VINE: Japanese Honeysuckle, Hops
WEED: Chicory, Dandelion, Violet, Red Clover (If you can’t beat `em, eat `em!)

When introducing flowers into your diet, start with small quantities and work your way up.   If in doubt about the edibility of a flower, do not eat them.  Marvin’s Organic Gardens carries many of the abovementioned flowering plants, and grows them organically for your safety and for responsible land stewardship.  We also have in stock, compost, organic fertilizer and pest control products so that you can promote human, animal and environmental health, and keep your edible plants edible.  We offer a full range of landscape services in addition to what we have available at our garden center.  We would be glad to design and install your very own edible landscape, or simply provide consultation so that you are equipped with everything you need to plant your own. Go Organic. It’s Only Natural!