Edible flowers

[papillon]

Does anyone eat the flowers that they grow? I've seen some beautiful floral salads on TV, but wonder what they really taste like. I guess it's not much different to eating other parts of a plant.

 

[Becky]

I think they are mostly used for decoration rather than taste - that being said, courgette (zucchini) flowers are delicious (they are often stuffed).

 

[papillon]

Great, I'm growing courgettes this year. I didn't know you could eat the flowers - they will certainly brighten up the plate. I'll look out for a recipe for stuffing them as well. Perhaps it's similar to stuffed vine leaves.

 

[Becky]

I had courgette flowers stuffed with crab once, then fried in a very light tempura batter... yum!

 

[RoyalFeather]

Nasturtium flowers have peppery cinnamon taste and rose hips make excellent tea. The blossoms that peas produce also taste delicious.

I have eaten lots of weird stuff.

 

[claudine]

I love the idea of eating flowers - it's just so romantic. It would be great if it was possible to eat only flowers and nothing else Well, maybe flowers and chocolate I heard somewhere that clover flowers are very sweet.

 

[zigs]

Red clover is, you pull the petals off & suck the nectar out of the ends.

 

[claudine]

This sounds nice. I immediately imagined myself drinking clover nectar during a picnic - I'd lie on the grass and drink sweet nectar, it would be wonderful
But I'd be scared of doing it without washing the plant first.

 

[zigs]

I remember a picnic in a clearing in the woods when my eldest Daughter, Poppy, was a toddler, we had a bottle of home made mead & I collected handfulls of tiny wild strawberries for her. The proper pea sized round ones, not the alpine type.

It was a lovely afternoon. She'm 25 years old now.

 

[justusforus]

Red clover is, you pull the petals off & suck the nectar out of the ends.

I remember as a child doing this with petunias. Before I put it out there, is my memory correct that petunia nectar was edible? I am sure there are some that we should stay away from.

 

[zigs]

Some nectars can be toxic, not sure as to how much though. Best just stick to plants that we know.

Lilly pollen can kill cats, it sticks to their fur & they lick it off, think it gives them liver failure.

 

[lemonzest]

Yeah, I've had nasturtium leaves and petals from my yard. But not much else unless you count sucking the nectar from them and things like honeysuckle.

 

[claudine]

Yeah, I've had nasturtium leaves and petals from my yard. But not much else unless you count sucking the nectar from them and things like honeysuckle.

What do they taste like? Did you eat them raw or maybe you cooked them? I still haven't tried eating any flowers, for now I try to gather as much information as possible

 

[lemonzest]

What do they taste like? Did you eat them raw or maybe you cooked them? I still haven't tried eating any flowers, for now I try to gather as much information as possible

The leaves in are sort of peppery and a bit bitter, I ate one raw to try it out but preferred it chopped cooked in an omelette, like you would spinach.

The petals I liked better, they're similar but a bit sweeter also have a neat texture, I used some on a salad, and meant to used them in a pesto recipe I found but never quite got around to it.

 

[claudine]

The leaves in are sort of peppery and a bit bitter, I ate one raw to try it out but preferred it chopped cooked in an omelette, like you would spinach.

The petals I liked better, they're similar but a bit sweeter also have a neat texture, I used some on a salad, and meant to used them in a pesto recipe I found but never quite got around to it.

I must say that this sounds pretty good My boyfriend loves peppery foods, so it's very possible that he would like the leaves. Personally, I feel more tempted to try sweeter petals, because I love all sweet things