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Grandma's Incredible
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The first time I ever heard of edible flowers was probably 30 years ago. Wow, now I'm showing my age! I was visiting a small herbal shop called The Rosemary House. The owner was an elderly woman by the name of Rosemary. Can you imagine that? She was hosting a tea party and invited me to join. The main course Rosemary was serving was rose petal sandwiches and chamomile tea. It was one of the most pleasant parties I ever attended. Rosemary impressed me so much that I secretly decided to find a way to keep in touch with her and her little shop, even though it was over 100 miles away from where I lived. I always wished I could open a little shop like hers and I guess that is what this website is all about.
Flower cookery has been traced back to Roman times, and to the Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Indian cultures. Edible flowers were especially popular in the Victorian era during Queen Victoria's reign. Today, many restaurant chefs and innovative home cooks garnish their entrees with flower blossoms for a touch of elegance. The secret to success when using edible flowers is to keep the dish simple, do not add to many other flavors that will over power the delicate taste of the flower. Today this nearly lost art is enjoying a revival.
Today many of us eat flowers without even knowing it. Did you know that broccoli, cauliflower, and artichokes are all flowers? Also the spice saffron is the stamen from the crocus flower? Capers are unopened flower buds to a bush native in the Mediterranean and Asian nations.
Here's a link to try some of Grandma's Favorite Edible Flower Recipes.
Follow some Simple Guidelines:
- Even though there are many edible flowers there are many flowers that are not edible! It's important to learn what you can eat and what you can't because there are actually some flowers that can make you very sick.
- It's not only a whole lot more fun to grow your own edible flower it's also a whole lot safer. You never want to eat flowers that you just bought from a florist or grocery store. Even if you know these are edible flowers you won't dare eat them simply because most likely they were sprayed with insecticides and sometimes dyes.
- If you've never tried tasting flowers make sure you take it slow. You never know what you could be allergic to one of them.
- Never eat flowers you see growing alongside of a road or highway.
- Eat only the petals of most flowers, always make sure you clean the stems and seeds off before eating, some stems and seeds can make you sick.
- Wash all flowers thoroughly before eating them, and always check for insects hiding in the folds.
- Pick your flowers in the early morning when their water content is highest.
Edible flowers add flavor and color to your cooking. Some are even high in vitamins and nutrients.
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The Varieties of Edible Flowers are Endless!
We all know that we can easily grow organic herbs and many of these herbs produce beautiful flowers. Many of the herbal flowers are edible and some are medicinal. Some of our favorite ways to enjoy herbs are in teas and as a spice for our foods.
Who would think that the beautiful and frequent fruit blossoms we enjoy each spring before they start producing our favorite fruits are actually edible fruit flowers?
Heck, there are even edible flowers that grow wild and known as pesky weeds! They are actually edible and extremely nutritious, like dandelion.
It's so much fun to make an edible bouquet and give it to someone special. Or try making a beautiful centerpiece for you dinning table or picnic table with an edible flower arrangement. It's not only beautiful it's a real conversation piece. Kids absolutely love taking the petals off of flowers and munching on them. Of course you always have to be careful to caution them never to do this without adult supervision.
Imagine taking the time to plant an entire Edible Flower Garden then making edible flower bouquets to take to friends and family when they need cheered up. It really is a very simple doable project, as long as you know how incredible flowers can be when they are edible.
Grandma's Favorite Incredible Edible Flowers
- Borage-adds a cucumber taste to salads, dips, and cold soups.
- Calendula-has a slightly bitter taste, also known as a poor mans saffron.
- Chamomile-sweet apple flavor and fragrance make a delicious tea, also well known as a medicinal herb.
- Chives -Adds mild onion flavor to dinner rolls, casseroles, eggs, potatoes, and herb butters.
- Lavender -floral taste combines well with rosemary and thyme in chicken and lamb marinades.
- Nasturtium -adds peppery taste to salads, herb vinegars, sandwiches, and even pizza.
- Antique Roses-adds flavor to jellies, honey, vinegars, and salads. Do you know medicinal rose hips have more vitamin C than an orange?
- Sweet violet, Johnny-jump-ups, Pansy-These three violas are old-fashioned culinary favorites.
Store your flowers in the refridgerator in plastic containers with lids, they can be stored up to 10 days. If you notice your petals seem a bit limp you can revive them by placing them in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes. Don't soak them too long or they will loose some of their flavor.
I hope you enjoyed exploring some simple ways to enjoy ways to add beauty to your table, decorate a cake or add some zest to a salad. It's such an easy way to enjoy the simple things in life and just play with some of the beauty in nature.
DISCLAIMER:
The statements made here have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
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