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Just as flowers are used to decorate a room, some common flowers can also be used to decorate foods. Flowers are not only used for their color, but for texture and flavor too. Not only the flowers, but some leaves and roots can also be eaten. For hundreds of years, flowers have been consumed. Edible flowers can be used in drinks, jellies, salads, soups, syrups and added as seasoning to main dishes. Flowers can also be preserved for future use. Some common edible flowers are: Daisies (Bellis prennis quills), Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale leaves, roots, flowers, petals, buds), Daylilies (Hemerocallis buds, flowers, petals), Pansies (Viola x Wittrockiana flowers, petals), Pot Marigolds (Calendula officinalis petals with white heel removed), Roses (Rosa petals with white heel removed, rose hips) and Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus buds, petals, seeds). Daisy may mean: Look up daisy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Species See text Dandelion (Taraxacum) is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. ...
Species , etc The daylily is any of about 15 species of flowering plants in the genus Hemerocallis. ...
Trinomial name Viola tricolor hortensis Hybrids Viola × wittrockiana The Pansy or Pansy Violet is a cultivated garden flower. ...
Species About 20, see text : also numerous garden hybrids and cultivars The marigolds, genus Calendula L., are a genus of about 20 species of annual or perennial herbaceous plants in the daisy family Asteraceae, native to the Mediterranean region and Macaronesia. ...
Species About 100, see text A rose is a flowering shrub of the genus Rosa and the flower of this shrub. ...
Binomial name Helianthus annuus L. The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant in the Family Asteraceae with a large flower head (inflorescence). ...
Flower Consumption
Before you run out in the yard and start eating all the flowers, here are some general rules to follow before consuming flowers: - If you are unsure if you have picked the correct variety of flower for the recipe, do not eat it. Some flowers are toxic and some flowers only become edible after appropriate preparations. There are many sources available to help you identify and properly prepare flowers for consumption.
- As you would with other foods, if you have food or pollen allergies, check with your doctor before consuming flowers to avoid allergic reactions.
- Always use flowers that have not been sprayed with pesticides. To accomplish this, you can either grow your own flowers or if you are purchasing flowers from a commercial grower, ask if pesticides were used in treating the flowers. Make sure the grower knows that you plan to consume the flowers.
- Do not use damaged or excessively dirty flowers. Check flowers for an overabundance of insects as this may be a sign of unsuitable flowers to consume. Wash flowers thoroughly (but gently) in cool water and dry them on paper towels.
- Remove the reproductive organs (pollen area) of the flowers if possible.
- Just because flowers are edible doesn’t mean you should eat them at every meal. Marigolds and Daylilies for example, should be sensibly consumed.
- Do not serve edible flowers along with inedible flowers. Some guests may not know the difference and inadvertently eat an inedible flower.
A cropduster spreading pesticide. ...
Flowers as Flavoring Enjoying edible flowers doesn’t have to be seasonal. Flower butter made with flower petals can be frozen for up to three months. Flower oils made with your favorite edible flower petal steeped in sunflower oil, olive oil, or other oils for about a week and then removed, will also keep up to three months. Try different edible flowers and oils to create your own special flavor. The steeping will leave your oil flavored with your favorite edible flower petal. Edible flower petals can also be steeped in vinegar for three to four weeks and then removed. The flower vinegar can then be used in dressing or whenever you would use vinegar. Your favorite edible flower can also be frozen with water in a standard ice-cube tray. The flower ice-cubes can be left frozen and used in drinks or any other dish that you would normally use ice-cubes in. Edible flowers can be blended into sugar for about one week (and then sift out the flowers), leaving the storable sugar flavored for future use. Edible flowers can also be crystallized using egg white and sugar. The candied flowers can be eaten individually or used as a garnish for a cake; but only remain fresh for about two days. A garnish is a substance used primarily as an embellishment or decoration to a prepared food or drink item. ...
References Barash, Cathy Wilkinson. Edible Flowers from Garden to Palate. Golden: Fulcrum Publishing, 1993.
Brown, Kathy. flowerpower. New York: Anness Publishing Limited, 2000.
Mead, Chris and Emelie Tolley. a potpourri of Pansies. New York: Clarkson Potter Publishers, 1993.
Strowbridge, Cynthia and Francesca Tillona. A Feast of Flowers. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1969.
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