Some examples of edible flowers include sunflowers, roses, daisies, pansies, and dandelions. That is just a list of common flowers that most Americans have heard of, but there are many, many more. Sunflowers are most often used for their seeds… hence, the popular snack of sunflower seeds. Rose petals can be used to flavor water or tea, as can daisies and dandelions. Pansies can be used in fruit or green salads, desserts, and even soups! Roots of other flowers can also be used for drink or in salads. Flowers can even be used in food dishes, not so much to eat, but to simply decorate the meal.
Not only are flowers edible, but they are also nutritious. Some people use flowers for medicinal purposes, or in serums to treat or prevent colds. Each specific type of flower varies in its uses, but most have more than one purpose.
Using flowers in your diet could be not only fun, but also beneficial to your health. To begin, you will want to research particular types of flowers which you might like to try. Not many, but some flowers are poisonous and could be harmful, so this research is key. Some flowers may not actually be harmful to your body, but may taste bad, so you probably won't want to use them. Some examples of common edible flowers are as follows, along with some tips in using them:
· Squash flower: These can be fried in batter or cornmeal for an appetizer or side dish.
· Broccoli: This is a very common vegetable, often steamed and eaten with butter.
· Cauliflower: As the name says, this, too, is a flower, and like broccoli, is usually steamed or boiled.
· Basil: The leaves of basil are often dried and used as seasoning, but the flowers can also be eaten fresh on a salad or as a decorative addition.
There are many more edible flowers grown around you every day. Instead of just stopping to “smell the roses,” now you can stop to eat them! However, before deciding to try just any flower to garnish a dish or sprinkle in your next salad, make sure you know what you're eating!
Edible Flowers For Cakes
Flowers can also be used to make teas, and their flavor extracts can be used in cakes, frostings, candies, and other foods. Many flowers are also very good for you. Roses are very high in vitamin C, especially rose hips.
Nasturtiums and marigolds also have a decent amount of vitamin C, and dandelion flowers contain both vitamin C and vitamin A. If a flower is not poisonous, it is considered technically edible, but not all edible flowers are tasty.
Always bear in mind that you should be absolutely certain of what you are eating because some flowers have poisonous look-alikes! You should never eat flowers if you have hay fever, asthma, or other allergies.
Never eat flowers that have been sprayed with any type of pesticide. Be sure to choose only blossoms that have not wilted. Remember, even edible flowers should be eaten in moderate amounts.
Some people may still have minor reactions to large amounts of edible flowers. Some common flowering plants should NEVER be eaten. Lily-of-the-valley is one such plant which is highly toxic. Other flowers that should not be eaten include hydrangeas, daffodils, wisteria, lupines, hyacinths, castor beans, rhododendrons, sweet peas, clematis, bleeding hearts, oleander, and calla lilies.
This is just a partial list! Always carefully research any flower before eating it, and even check varieties of the same type of flower. For landscaping purposes, you should probably concentrate on perennials.
Now let us look at some of the very best blooming plants and flowers for landscaping. Remember, these are all perennials, since our purpose is creating landscaping:
- Dianthus comes in shades of red, white, and pink.
It tastes similar to cloves
- Daylilies come in many colors.
It taste a bit like squash or asparagus
- Red clover has pink or red flowers.
It taste delicate and sweet
- Tulips are mild and sweet and comes in
many different colors
- Violets are slightly sweet, slightly sour.
They come in pink, white, purple, and blue
- Chives have beautiful pink globes of blossoms
that taste very much like onions
- Bee balm has pink, red, white, and lavender
flowers that taste a bit like tea
- Hollyhocks are slightly bitter and come in many colors
- Borage tastes a lot like cucumbers, and comes
in blue, purple, and lavender
Perennials will continue to come back year after year, without the need for replanting each year. This is a very important part of landscaping, since landscaping should require only minimal maintenance.
Both Cathy Peterson & are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.