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You may not realize it, but flowers don’t just have to look pretty in a vase on your kitchen table. Some of them can actually go into the salad you’re making for lunch or dinner as well. Certain edible flowers have long been used in recipes, especially salads, though the practice fell out of favor for quite a while. Nowadays, chiefs and foodies are rediscovering the unique flavors of edible flowers. In this post, we’ll highlight a few such delectable blooms that can make a great addition to your salad. Begonias Both tuberous begonias and wax begonias can help enliven your salad. Tuberous begonia petals have a citrusy flavor. Both their petals and stems can be added to a salad. The leaves and flowers of wax begonias are slightly bitter and can also make a nice addition to your salad. Clover Clover has a light, sweet taste that some have compared to licorice. Whole clover plants can go into your salad. We suggest using only the brightest flowers, as they tend to become bitter as they age. Add clover in moderation, especially the first time you try it. The raw flower heads may upset delicate stomachs. Dandelions Dandelions have a sweet and pleasant flavor, especially when they are picked young. As the flower ages, it grows more bitter in taste. Leaves and petals can go into a salad. Consider also adding dandelion buds, which many consider to be tastier than the flowers. Chrysanthemums Blanch and then scatter chrysanthemum petals over your salad to add rich colors to your greens. The taste of chrysanthemum varies depending on its type. Most taste tangy or somewhat bitter, though certain petals have even been described as peppery. DayLillies While the sweet-tasting petals of daylilies can be used in desserts, they also make a great garnish to salads. Their stems and leaves taste somewhere between asparagus and zucchini, and they have a nice chewable consistency. You can either sprinkle the petals across the top of a salad or use the full bloom to make a statement. Just make sure to cut away the bitter base. When adding flowers to a salad, always make sure they are edible. There are many flowers that should never be consumed and can cause illness. Also, never add a flower to a meal unless you know exactly where it came from and that it was grown without dangerous pesticides. We strongly encourage “budding” cooks to only use edibles grown in their own garden without pesticides or with pesticides that are specifically designated for crop plants. Don’t use edible flowers from a nursery or from the wild, as there is no way to tell if they came in contact with dangerous chemicals. To learn even more about flowers that you can add to your next salad, call us at (760) 754-0438. For more information about planting and growing flower bulbs and plants. Easy To Grow Bulbs
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