Spring is here! I love the longer daylight hours and warmer temperatures but especially appreciate the ingredients that Spring brings including edible flowers. That’s right! Flowers are not just for your pots and vases.
You may be surprised by the long list of flowers that are edible. They have a wide variety of flavor profiles and can be used in everything from salads and savory tarts to desserts and cocktails. Some even have health benefits such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Here’s how to elevate your Spring cuisine with edible flowers.
Salads, Tarts, Dips & Spreads
There are several different types of edible flowers that work well in salads and tarts depending on if going for a flavor element or aesthetics. Sometimes you want both. Nasturtium, for example, are bright red and orange adding a fun pop of color as well as well as a spicy, peppery flavor. Chive flowers are both beautiful and delicious blended into goat cheese, cream cheese and other dips & spreads.
Desserts
Other edible flowers are sweet and more appropriate for desserts. Pansies and violets are mild and slightly floral tasting. They make a colorful addition to salads but I especially love their shape and vibrant purple hues for decorating cakes and garnishing dessert plates. You can use them in their natural form or candied.
Infusions
Edible flowers also make for an excellent addition to infused olive oils and wine and spirits like vodka and gin. Both sweet and savory varieties work well in cocktails (e.g. peppery flavored flowers in a smokey old fashioned and sweet, floral varieties in a gin sour.) Elevate any beverage - water, teas, lemonade and mocktails - with flower-infused ice cubes. Just pop the flowers in the tray, fill with water and freeze.
Now that I have you excited and ready to run outside to start picking, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
1) When and Where to Buy - Edible flowers are fragile and used sparingly. So it’s best to buy a small quantity and use them within a couple of days (keep refrigerated). You can find edible flowers at your local farm market, local specialty food stores, Whole Foods markets and online. Or you can grow your own with seeds from your local garden store. Amazon also offers a plethora of edible flower kit options.
2) Look Before You Bite - Many common flowers are edible, but not all nor are all parts of the flower. Make sure the flowers you want to use are in fact edible.
3) Avoid Chemicals - Although common and easy to find, avoid picking your flowers from the backyard (unless from your garden), side of the road or buying them from your local nursery as they’re likely laden with harmful chemicals from spraying.
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