A Guide to Edible Flowers

Cocktail Lover's Guide to Edible Flowers

To welcome summer guests, adding a touch of the garden to what you serve will really elevate your style.  In addition to a garnish, flower petals look lovely on a green salad, frozen in ice cubes, and topping your favorite cocktail.  Other ideas are decorating cupcakes with violets, steeping fresh chamomile flowers for tea,  and stir-frying a daylily bud.  By adding color and flavor to your dishes, edible flowers are a perfect way to add a gourmet touch to entertaining. 

Most edible flowers are best eaten raw and taste best right after they have opened.  Critical facts to remember: 
1. Not every flower is edible.
2. Avoid flowers sprayed with insecticide, fungicide or herbicide. This is especially important for roses and dandelions.
3. Never harvest roadside flowers or eat florist flowers.
4. Use sparingly.
5. Identify the part of the flower that is edible.  For example honeysuckle flowers are edible but the berries are poisonous.

Flowers can be sweet, floral, citrusy, bitter, tangy or even "pea like."  If you're interested in using flowers in your summertime fare, check out these resources:

• Recipes from the blog:  The View from Great Island
• Edible Flower Seed Mix
• Fresh Edible flowers delivered to your door by Olive Tips
• Cleaning and storing edible flowers: What's cooking America
• Cocktail's guide to Edible Flowers