Where To Buy And How To Use Edible Flowers

Stop and eat the roses! Wait, what?! Are roses edible? Yes I’m serious! Did you know roses are not only edible, but actually delicious, nutritious and beautiful! Here are ten beautiful and fun ways to use edible flowers!

One of the most natural and most appealing ways to brighten up and beautify a dish is the simple addition of an edible flower! There are many varieties which are edible, and add a subtle flavor into your dish. Cooking with flowers, though, is a cautious process, as you must be completely sure that what you are serving is neither poisonous nor chemically treated. Once you have chosen your flowers safely, the options available for cooking are very wide. While I don’t recommend you start viewing bouquets as scrumptious salads and chewing away upon receiving a gift, it is worth realizing the value of flowers as a garnish and ingredient to complement a slew of recipes.

Different Ways To Use Edible Flowers

Edible flowers work great in a range of recipes from soups and stews to salads and yogurt! But their vivid colours and beautiful appearance can also help you create a whole new level of interest and flavour as you create exotic-looking dishes! Here are some delicious ways to use your edible flowers!

Flower Ice Cubes

Place a flower of two in each compartment of an ice cube tray and add water as usual. Freeze and enjoy! You can add the flower ice cubes to clear drinks as a fresh and beautiful touch! Depending on the floral variety you choose, they can add a tangy or sweet flavour to your beverage!

Edible Flower Popsicles

Add flowers to your popsicle containers, fill with liquid, add the stick and freeze. You can have a colorful array of sunny-looking popsicles laden with flowers and interesting tastes, such as lemon mint or lavender.

Edible Flower Lollipops

You can make your own lollipops with sugar syrup and sticks. Try to find one perfect flower per pop. You can then arrange them on a stand and dazzle people with the colors. Here is a great recipe for making edible flower lollipops at home!

Candied Petals

Candied violets and roses have been used for centuries, both as a sweet treat and as an elegant way to decorate cakes. Create a box of your own to pass around when guests come, or give as gifts. Here’s a delicious recipe for sugar candies rose petals!

Edible Flower Jellies/Turkish Delight

Clear gelatin and some sugar can be the foundation of vividly-colored jellied candies. You can also add rosewater and rose petals if you like, to make your own Turkish delight. Make a tray of it, chill well, and cut into small squares. Toss the squares in some powdered sugar to stop them sticking together.

Edible Flower Cake Decorations

Fresh or dried edible flowers can dress up any cake. You can also use candied flowers. Some people use buttercream frosting and place the flowers around the top and sides of the cake. Other cooks use fondant icing, a soft sugar paste that you roll out until it is large enough to cover the cake you wish to frost.

Consider scattering flowers and petals onto the fondant as you give it a last roll out before you place it on top of the cake. Use edible flowers as charming cupcake toppers. You can also make frosting from the flowers, such as rose.

Edible Flower Cookie

Make your usual sugar cookie dough. Roll it out, cut into cookies, and roll a fresh flower into the top of each cookie. Use a variety of blossoms and you will be able to create a stunning-looking cookie platter.

Edible Flower Cocktails

Some liquors can be enhanced with flowers, such as adding them to a bottle of vodka. You can also create various syrups out of edible flowers to add color, flavor and consistency to cocktails and mocktails (you can use seltzer instead of alcohol in most cases).

Edible Flower Teas

Some edible flowers and botanicals like hibiscus and rose hip are actually the basis for most commercial herbal teas on the market, so you can have fun experimenting with different blends. The most basic herbal tea can be made with fresh or dried chamomile flowers. It is pretty, and good for the digestion.

Edible Flower Yogurt Parfaits

Layer the flowers with layers of yogurt, and perhaps some granola or nuts, for a light, refreshing dessert or breakfast. Use these and your own ideas to brighten up your dishes with edible flowers.

Where To Buy Edible Flowers?

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Other Edible Flowers

Which Flowers Are Safe To Eat?

The absolutely most important factor when deciding to cook with flowers is to be sure that the variety is edible, and not poisonous. While this article shall provide general guidelines, do confirm before the use of any plant in your food that it is, in fact, edible. The safest bet for edible flowers is those that will eventually grow into the vegetables and fruits that we already know and love. Often the flowers of vegetables, fruits, and herbs offer a reminder of the plant they come from, in a more subtle flavor. Examples are the basil, chive, garlic, and lemon flowers. These are good garnishes for dishes which may already use the fruit of the above-mentioned flowers. The chamomile flower is very gentle and pleasant also. Other flowers that come from plants we know are the arugula flower, the mustard flower, the squash flower (which can even be fried and eaten on its own), and the sunflower. Edible flowers are not limited to those which later blossom into fruits and vegetables. Some of the prettiest flowers have petals which we can eat. Specifically, carnations, dandelions, jasmine, rose, lavender, violets, and daisies are edible. Some of these add a beautiful aroma to the dish, and a very romantic bite. Such flowers are perfect to add to a salad, because they add sharp color, which always makes a salad more appealing, along with a delicate flavor.

There are important rules that absolutely must be followed when using flowers in cooking. The importance of certainty in the safety of the specific flower is of utmost importance. Never use an ingredient in your cooking that you are not sure is safe. Remember that many flowers are poisonous, so be certain of the identity of the flowers you have chosen to cook with. Once this step has been checked, were ready to move on to the next rule of flower cooking. This rule is where you get your flower from. Do not buy flowers for cooking from florists, unless specifically grown for eating purposes. Most flowers for a florist are not grown as comestibles, and thus are not treated as comestibles. The products which these flowers are treated with are not to be consumed. Thus, either find a florist who specializes in growing flowers for eating purposes, or grow your own! Growing your own flowers for food entails basically the same rules as growing flowers for aesthetic pleasure, but be sure to avoid pesticides, and use natural methods of keeping bugs away: plant a variety of flowers near each other, as this equilibrium may help ward off bugs; remember that lady bugs are a good bug that eats many pests, so know your friendly bugs; smearing some garlic and coffee grinds into the soil often keeps pests at bay as they hate the sharpness and bitterness of these foods. Lastly, use only the petals of flowers, as the pollen may cause allergies, and is often bitter. Especially for first-time flower cooks, use small amounts, as any food new to the digestive tract should be introduced slowly and easily.

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