We may grow ornamental flowers for their fragrance, their beauty or their ability to attract beneficial insects. But as for eating the blossoms we grow? Well, technically we already do consume certain edible flowers.
“Broccoli and cauliflower are just buds of flowers, so what’s the difference between eating buds and [eating flowers] once they open?” Brad Biren asks. Educated at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Biren has worked as a landscape architect and botanist.
Over the years, he’s also become a self-described flower eater. “I grow them and love to eat them, because it makes me feel like I am eating summertime itself,” he says.
Petal Power
Spicy nasturtiums and versatile daylilies aside, roses are one of Biren’s go-to recommendations for the uninitiated. “They’re a great beginner [edible] flower plant, because the petals are not fibrous and they kind of taste like you are eating perfume,” he says.
“It’s like a lettuce that almost dissolves in your mouth.”
When harvesting rose petals, be sure to separate them from the rose hips. “The rose hip—in that little globe at the bottom [of the bud]—can break your teeth,” Biren warns.
Ideally, you should pick roses to eat before their blooms fully open. Also, more fragrant rose species will pack a bigger culinary punch. Add rose petals to salads, candy them for dessert, or use them to make rose water or a simple rose syrup.
Cleanliness Counts
Depending on when you harvest, you could end up with more than just pretty blossoms. Flowers that remain open outside for longer than a day or two could be contaminated by pathogens from birds and other animals. If you’re able, harvest flowers at the bud stage and then bring them indoors.
This may reduce your potential exposure to pathogens.
Picking short-lived flowers is another good option. “Pansies and violets … open up every morning, so, really how much contamination can they get in an hour or two outside?” Biren says.
“So, harvest them [right away.] Put them on a slightly moistened wet paper towel, lock it in a gallon-sized bag, and put it in the refrigerator. They’ll last about two days. Or you can always freeze them.”
