July 15, 2005

Edible flowers bring the garden into the kitchen

By Shari Kaplan
Editor

Oh, the challenges of midsummer! It’s too late to grow most summer-blooming annuals from seed, and transplanting perennials from cell-packs is more challenging now, since in hot weather the young plants are at greater risk of drying out until their roots are established.

Dianthus flowers, shown here, and carnations are closely related. They also are both edible and possess a delicately spicy-sweet taste. Photograph by Shari Kaplan

July is also a bit premature to sow the seeds of popular cool season vegetables like beets, carrots, spinach, parsnips, turnips and certain types of lettuce. (Stay tuned for more information next month).

Speaking of things that taste good, this is as fine a time as any to discuss one of my favorite topics, edible flowers.

The technical term for flower consumption should be “floraphagy,” but a Google search returned no results, so perhaps I’ve coined a new word—if one is allowed to combine a Latin prefix with a Greek suffix!

One of the first flowers people think of in the same breath as “edible” are nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus), which incidentally are some of the easiest, fastest plants to start from seed at almost any time, especially in mild climates like the Santa Clara Valley. Some folks say the flowers taste like spicy watercress with sweet undertones. I think they’re more reminiscent of mustard or pepper. But no one can argue that nasturtium flowers’ unique shape and color varieties perk up any salad! The immature seedpods can even be pickled as a caper substitute.

Hibiscus flowers are beautiful and edible. They’re often found in herbal teas, where they add a tart flavor and sometimes a color as well. Photograph by Shari Kaplan

One of the last flowers most people think of as edible is the carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus). Also called “clove pinks,” carnations have a flavor similar to their fragrance, which is a mild blend of spicy, sweet and floral. The smaller “cottage pinks,” (Dianthus plumarius) are close relatives and popular in gardens. They’re not usually fragrant, but their flowers taste lightly of cloves or nutmeg. The white base of both “pinks” is occasionally bitter. If so, snip it away before using the petals in desserts or beverages.

Herbal tea drinkers have probably noticed hibiscus flowers (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) almost always turn up on the ingredient list. As one might expect, if the steeped essence of a flower is drinkable, the flower itself is edible—although not necessarily in large quantities. Hibiscus petals are used to deepen the color of many herbal teas, along with imparting a tropically tart flavor something like a citrus-cranberry cross.

There’s no one way to describe the taste of rose petals (Rosa genus), since there are thousands of varieties and hybrids. I’ve sampled many different roses and experienced all of the following flavors: sweet, spicy, sour, bitter, fruity, rosy and “lettucey.” There are equally varied uses for their petals: sprinkled into salads, dried into tea, frozen and floated in punch bowls, candied and served on cake, chopped into butters or cooked into syrups and jellies.

Nasturtium flowers add a peppery, colorful crunch to salads. Their round leaves are edible too. Nasturtium flowers can also flavor oils, vinegar and cheeses.

Almost as versatile (and equally as beautiful) are flowers in the Viola genus: violets, pansies and johnny-jump-ups.

Anyone who enjoys oranges, lemons, limes and other citrus may be interested to know that with these trees, the fruit isn’t the only edible product. The pale, waxy flower petals can have a “rind taste” or range from tangy to sweet. As with roses, there are so many varieties and hybrids that trial-and-error is the best way to find a favorite.

Citrus petals can be used to flavor everything from ice cream to soup. They’re also good in butter sauces for fish or chicken. The blossoms are highly fragrant, so use them sparingly.

So many edible flowers exist (from perfumed lavender to cucumbery borage) that I could talk for hours on “floraphagy.” For those whose curiosity (or appetite) is piqued, I recommend two books, both full of photos, information and recipes. My favorite is “The Edible Flower Garden” by Rosalind Creasy. For those whose sweet tooth dominates, try “Edible Flowers: Desserts & Drinks” by Cathy Wilkinson Barash.

In closing, one caveat. With any flower you’re considering eating, make sure it hasn’t been treated with toxic chemicals, and make sure you can positively identify it as the flower you think it is!