Some people enjoyed eating flowers from a young age. They may have had a garden with flowers that they loved to pick and try. For others, the first time they tried a flower was in their salad or as an appetiser at a wedding reception.
Edible flowers are not just for the picking anymore! Flower farms are popping up all around the country to satisfy this growing trend that is sweeping the nation. You can buy a bouquet of fresh, organic, and edible blooms to add some colour to your next meal.
Helpful Hints For Growing Edible Flowers
Growing edible flowers is a great way to add some more life to your diet. Flowers are typically eaten raw or used as an ingredient in other dishes.
-Don’t forget about the taste of the flowers when planting them. You can select from a variety of tastes such as sweet, savoury, spicy, and tangy.
-Try to plant the flowers that are most aesthetically pleasing to you and best suited for your climate and soil conditions.
-If you don’t have much space in your garden, try planting some edible flowers in pots around your house!
5 reasons you should consider adding edible flowers to your diet
1. They can be eaten raw or cooked
2. They are low in calories, which is perfect for people on a diet
3. Eating flowers is actually really good for our health because they are full of antioxidants and other nutrients that keep us healthy
4. Eating flowers doesn’t just mean flowers from your garden, it can also include edible flowers such as pansies, violets, carnations and violas
5. Flowers can give people something to do during their free time – it’s really fun to pick one off from the ground and eat it!
How to cook with edible flowers
Step 1: Pick the flowers that you want to cook with. Don’t pick any that are poisonous if you don’t know what they are check online to be sure which are safe to eat.
Step 2: Wash the flowers and pat them dry with a towel.
Step 3. Cut off the stem and use the petals of the flower in a recipe or to decorate a dish.
Tips for using edible flowers and things to be careful of
People with allergies and asthma should be particularly careful to watch for allergic reactions. Some flowers, particularly chicory, daisy and marigold among others are known for causing frequent reactions.
Use flowers sparingly, the flavour and appearance of them can easily become overwhelming if you use too many!
Always check and double-check that flowers are edible before adding to a dish, some can be very poisonous!
What can use edible flowers in?
Crystallise the flowers or candy them to make a beautiful long-lasting decorations for dishes.
Use in flavoured oils, vinaigrettes and marinades to make them look more attractive.
Edible flowers are great as a garnish to desserts, starters or decorative main courses.
Sprinkling flowers into a salad gives it beautiful colours and adds something unique to what is otherwise a rather simple meal.
Freeze in ice cubes to add colour and style to drinks.
