Flowers aren’t just for picking

By Melissa Dunson
THE JOPLIN GLOBE (JOPLIN, Mo.)

JOPLIN, Mo. Sat, May 17 2008

— Roses are red, violets are blue, flowers aren’t just for picking anymore, they’re tasty, too.
Once popular for eating, spring blossoms have been mostly replaced by plant stems, roots, leaves or fruit on the dinner table. But some plant and food enthusiasts insist edible flowers are coming back in style and with good reason.
“One of the important reasons to eat flowers is the amount of absorbable base metals in them,” said Bethany Kiele, owner of Isadora’s Wonderful Things in Joplin. “We don’t get nearly enough cleansing foods and flowers are nature’s way of cleaning us out from the winter sludge.”
Because of the cleansing nature of flowers, Dorothy Bay, biology professor at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin specializing in botany, said people shouldn’t eat a large amount. But she said adding the right ones to foods can add vitamins to spring and summer diets, as well as beauty and delicate flavor.
Bay and Kiele both caution that a good understanding of edible flowers is crucial because there are many that are poisonous, and even edible ones can contain harmful pesticides.
“They’re kind of like mushrooms in that the wrong ones can make you very sick,” Kiele said.
To be safe, Kiele said she doesn’t serve and people shouldn’t eat flowers grown in nurseries or along the side of the road, unless they are organically raised, because they could contain pesticides or other chemicals. Kiele said people should also avoid eating flowers if they have severe allergies. She recommends removing the pistils and stamen from the flowers and eating only the petals of large flowers.
She said flowers should be introduced into a person’s diet gradually, one at a time, to check for any adverse reactions.
Some edible flowers have such delicate flavors they should be used primarily as garnishes, while others have strong sweet or spicy elements.

Violets
The flowers can be eaten raw, put in salads, or candied and used in desserts. Kiele uses violets in her restaurant’s house salad and on some desserts. She said per serving, the flowers have more Vitamin C than any other food.

Shepherds Purse
Bay said the plant is a common weed. It’s in the mustard family and has a similar flavor and is crisp like water cress. It’s good in salads and on sandwiches.

Linden tree (Bass Wood)
Bay said the tree’s flowers have a fragrance “out of this world,” and make a wonderful tea when steeped in hot water, or a salad addition when used fresh.

Henbit, Spiderwort and Chickory
Bay said all three of the blue or purplish flowers have delicate flavors and are well suited for salads.

Cattails
Bay said the flowers are best used when young and full of pollen. The flower can be eaten, or the pollen used in place of flour in muffins. She said the flavor isn’t dramatic, but the pollen adds lots of protein to a dish.

Dandelions
The common yard weed can be used in salad, or fermented and turned into wine. Kiele said the flavor tends to be bitter and the plant serves as a good diuretic. They are sweetest when picked young.

Herb Blossoms
Kiele said most common herbs — chives, rosemary, basil, dill, fennel, lavender, mint, marjoram, oregano, sage and thyme — have edible flowers as well. The flowers usually have a similar flavor as the leaves, but more delicate.

Borage
Gayl Navarro, owner of Ozark Nursery in Joplin, said the flower has a mild cucumber flavor that is tasty in salads.

Angelica
Kiele said her sources say unlike the plant’s leaves that have a light celery flavor, Angelica flowers taste similar to licorice and can be pale lavender blue or rose-colored.

Marigolds
Technically called Calendula, Kiele said her sources refer to the flower as “Poor Man’s Saffron” because of its flavor ranging from spicy and bitter to tangy and peppery. The flowers can be sprinkled on to soups, pasta, rice, scrambled eggs and salad.

Clover
Bay said the flowers have a sweet flavor that is nice as a tea, and can also add a licorice-like flavor to dishes.

Day lilies
Kiele said her sources on edible flowers list day lilies as a mix between asparagus and zucchini. The mild vegetable flavor is similar to a sweet lettuce or a melon. To use with desserts, cut the sweet petals away from the bitter base.

Impatiens and Pansies
Kiele said both flowers have a light taste and make pretty garnishes or salad additions.

Lilac
Kiele said her sources list these blooms as varying in flavor from perfumy to slightly bitter. They have a distinct lemony taste and can be added to salads.

Nasturtiums
These are some of the most commonly eaten flowers, mentioned by Navarro, Kiele and Bay. The bright orange, yellow or red flowers have a peppery flavor like radishes or watercress. They can be used in salads, as garnishes, with cheese, on sandwiches or added to savory appetizers.

Roses
Kiele said her sources list all roses as edible, with the darker varieties having a more pronounced flavor, like that of strawberries or green apples. The petals can be used in ice cream, frozen in ice cubes and floated in punch, or cooked into syrups, jellies, butters or spreads.

Picking Edible Flowers:
Pick your flowers in the morning when their water content is at its highest.

Cleaning Edible Flowers:
Shake each flower to dislodge insects hidden in the petal folds. After removing the stamen, wash the flowers under a fine jet of water or in a strainer placed in a large bowl of water. Drain and allow to dry on absorbent paper. The flowers will retain their odor and color providing they dry quickly and that they are not exposed to direct sunlight.

Preserving Edible Flowers:
To preserve flowers, put them on moist paper and place together in a hermetically-sealed container or in plastic wrapping. This way, certain species can be preserved in the refrigerator for some 10 days. If the flowers are limp, they can be revitalized by floating them on icy water for a few moments; don't leave too long or else they will lose some of their flavor.
You can also store the whole flower in a glass of water in the refrigerator overnight.
Source: http://whatscookingamerica.net

Recommended reading:
The Herb Garden by Malcolm Hillier
Euell Gibbons’ Handbook of Edible Wild Plants by Euell Gibbons
The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook by "Wildman" Steve Brill


Melissa Dunson writes for The Joplin (Mo.) Globe.

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