Flower power
From the garden or market, edible blossoms add a riot of color to summer salads
A rose is a rose is a rose, until it’s in your salad bowl. Then it becomes an ingredient with alluring color, delicate flavor, and Monet impact. Other edible blossoms, including herb flowers, can be equally effective.
Many palatable flower varieties, grown without pesticides and chemicals to preserve their edibility, are sold in the produce section. They may seem a bit pricey, but a few go a long way to enhance other foods. If you raise these tasty posies with identical care, you can pluck them from your own garden for dining. However, the same flowers from a florist can be harmful if consumed because of what’s added.
Edible flowers you are apt to encounter at the market are listed below. Don’t experiment with other varieties without expert guidance. Some flowers are poisonous; others just taste bad. If you need a local source for edible flowers, contact HerbThyme Farms in South San Francisco at (650) 952-4372 or www.herbthyme.com. They distribute throughout the West.
Flowers grown for eating
FLOWER: begonia
COLOR: tuberous orange, pink, red, yellow, white
FLAVOR: lemon
FLOWER: borage
COLOR: blue-lavender
FLAVOR: cucumber
FLOWER: calendula
COLOR: orange, yellow
FLAVOR: spicy, pepper
FLOWER: carnation
COLOR: lavender, pink, red
FLAVOR: pepper, cloves
FLOWER: chive
COLOR: lavender
FLAVOR: onion
FLOWER: chrysanthemum
COLOR: many colors
FLAVOR: faint to distinct bitterness
FLOWER: daisy
COLOR: English pastels, white
FLAVOR: tangy lettuce
FLOWER: dianthus
COLOR: many colors
FLAVOR: cloves
FLOWER: fuchsia
COLOR: many colors
FLAVOR: tart
FLOWER: geranium
COLOR: pink, peach, red, white
FLAVOR: differs with variety
FLOWER: hollyhock
COLOR: lavender, pink, red, white
FLAVOR: mild lettuce
FLOWER: Johnny-jump-up
COLOR: purple, white, yellow
FLAVOR: mild lettuce
FLOWER: lavender
COLOR: purple
FLAVOR: floral, pungent
FLOWER: marigold
COLOR: orange, yellow
FLAVOR: spicy, mildly bitter
FLOWER: nasturtium
COLOR: orange, red, yellow
FLAVOR: horseradish
FLOWER: pansy
COLOR: many colors
FLAVOR: sweet, mild
FLOWER: rose
COLOR: many colors
FLAVOR: floral, delicate
FLOWER: rosemary
COLOR: light blue
FLAVOR: pine resin
FLOWER: sage
COLOR: many colors
FLAVOR: sage, differs with variety
FLOWER: squash blossom
COLOR: yellow
FLAVOR: faintly sweet, mild lettuce
FLOWER: stock
COLOR: pink, purple, white, yellow
FLAVOR: spicy, sweet
FLOWER: thyme
COLOR: purple, white
FLAVOR: thyme
FLOWER: viola
COLOR: many colors
FLAVOR: mild lettuce
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