Flowers

Ellyn

Ellyn

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My first instinct upon finding zucchini flowers served is, what a waste! They could have grown into real zucchini instead.

But some battered and fried flowers are surprisingly addictive.

I've also heard that squash flowers or pumpkin flowers can be included in soups or batter-fried in this way. If you wanted to be really healthy and have something a little bit more different, perhaps simply including raw petals in a salad would be a treat.

What other flowers are edible, cooked or raw?
 
There are many types of flower which can be added to salads or used to make beverages. I make my own fennel tea and I use the flowers in the summer, as well as the leaves, but I always leave plenty of flowers to turn into fennel seeds.

Elderflowers can be fried in batter or made into a soft drink.

Sweet violets that appear in the spring are sweet to eat and can be added to salads or candied.
 
Wow, I wasn't aware most of the above mentioned flowers could be eaten. I would just assume to let my flowers bloom with their produce since that's what all the hard labor is for. I'd much rather have a pumpkin then eat the flower so it couldn't bloom.
 
I have a sweet tooth, so the sweet violets really intrigue me if it's not necessarily the nectar part. Sadly, I think that they might not grow where I live, and flowers don't seem a popular export for eating. Ah, well, maybe some day-- or if candied and sold in jars.

Now I'm remembering that as a kid I used to steal the nectar from Ixora flowers by plucking them and sipping the long side.
 
Ellyn said:
I have a sweet tooth, so the sweet violets really intrigue me if it's not necessarily the nectar part. Sadly, I think that they might not grow where I live, and flowers don't seem a popular export for eating. Ah, well, maybe some day-- or if candied and sold in jars.

Now I'm remembering that as a kid I used to steal the nectar from Ixora flowers by plucking them and sipping the long side.
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That can also be done with honeysuckle as well.
Dog violets are also used for sweets (though are native to Eurasia and Africa only).
Be very careful with Elder flowers. All parts of the elder tree are poisonous except for the ripe berries (minus the seeds) and the flowers. Unfortunately this includes the stems that the flowers are on - so anything woody, rooty or green is poisonous on the elder tree. that said, I am eyeing up my first batch of the season of elderflower cordial - the elderflowers are just coming into bloom where I live (honeysuckle also makes the most amazing cordial as does dandelion I am led to believe).
Tomorrow I should get chance to dig out my book to look up a few more flowers.
 
Some flowers that are edible (I have hyperlinked each of the common names so that botanical names can be obtained)
  • Primrose (only with permission or from your own land because it is technically a wild flower and protected)
  • Hairy bittercress (all the plant can be eaten - peppery in taste)
  • Wood Sorrel (though usually it is the leaves that are eaten, the flower can also be eaten, but eat in moderation not too excess due to oxalic acid content)
  • Sweet violet (flowers and apparently the leaves as well)
  • Cowslip (protected species, so this is for info only!)
  • Ramsons (I can't find any obvious reference at the moment that the flowers are edible, but I have eaten them all my life and know they are, similar to chives in that sense).
  • Wild Rose/Dog Rose (before petals start to wilt and I am pretty certain that this extends to what I call ornamental roses as well!)
  • Shepherd's Purse (all plant)

Of the herbs, (I wont' link to all of them here because most are well known and obvious).
For more, please see the following links.
http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/42-flowers-you-can-eat
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/Mar/26/cooking-edible-flowers/

http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/blflowers.htm looks to have a very good list, and unlike my knowledge is not restricted to UK species!
 
Oh wow thanks so much for taking the time and trouble, to list and link all of this! :D

How could I forget teas? Lavender and chamomile and jasmine, oh my! Well flower salads are still uncommon enough I think for me start having fun with.
 
Squash flowers are really good and we used to sell a lot of them at the organic farm that I used to work at. It does seem like a waste but a lot of produce gets thrown out because it doesn't grade out high enough for retail sales.
 
Ellyn said:
Bumping this thread because of a wonderful discovery I made when re-visiting one of my favorite recipe sites:

Squash blossoms stuffed with goat cheese and fried. Also, elderflower fritters!
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you have to be careful with elderflower fritters - I have made them and do each spring, but all of those green stems should not be eaten - they are what leaves you feeling sick afterwards. All green parts of the elder tree contain poison (cyanide complexes). Only the flowers themselves (minus the stems they grow on) and the berries (minus the seeds) are edible! Just a word of warning, but they are very nice to eat!
 
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