Flavorful Flowers

The idea of using flowers in recipes is far from new. Jeri Woodhouse, owner of Edible Petals, an organic flower, herb
advertisement


and vegetable farm and wholesale company in Orient, New York, has come across medieval recipes for salads that call for as many as 35 kinds of flowers, such as pinks, cowslips, stock, borage and roses. Nasturtiums appeared in fourth-century Persian cooking. Marigolds, chrysanthemums and dried daylily buds have long played roles in Asian dishes. And, of course, says Woodhouse, "the Victorians were wild about violets and pansies," using them as garnishes and crystallizing them to create sweet, glistening little treats.

For all the years of culinary tradition behind them, however, when edible flowers reemerged on the American scene a few years back, I was reluctant to follow the trend. Slowly I began to experiment. Peppery nasturtiums began to spice up my salads. Lavender blossoms and rose petals lent their delicate color and flavor to homemade ice cream. Even zucchini blossoms stuffed with ricotta found their way to my dining table.

If the concept of using these edible flowers in your cooking intrigues you, start by simply taking stock of the bounty in your own yard. A large number of edible flowers may already be growing in your garden. Once you start looking at the landscape, you may be surprised to learn how many of the plants you've always considered to be purely ornamental actually have edible blossoms. In addition to nasturtiums, lavender, roses, zucchini blossoms, violas/pansies and violets, the list includes apple blossoms, citrus blossoms, daylilies, mustard, monarda, lilacs, runner bean blossoms, scented geraniums and the flowers of most edible herbs.

Before you shop the garden, it is essential to determine that any flowers intended to be eaten have been grown organically, to be sure they are free of harmful chemicals, insecticides and additives. If you are considering taking a clipping from a nursery-grown perennial, wait a year until its next blossom. Many flower varieties should never appear on the menu, either because they don't taste like much or are, in fact, poisonous. Members of this inedible group include sweet peas, clematis and iris, just to name a few. Even a number of edible flowers like tulips -- which can be safely consumed by taking the stamen out and which, says Woodhouse, "are fabulous when partially dipped in chocolate and stuffed with lavender and cream" -- may cause allergic reactions in some people.

Flower flavors vary remarkably, so varieties cannot be used interchangeably. Most herb flowers taste like a delicate version of the herbs themselves; add them wherever a soupçon of herbal flavor is required. Different cultivars within flower families vary in flavor, too. The individual florets of the common lilac, for example, recall the distinctive aroma of the flower itself, while some modern lilac cultivars possess little, if any, flavor, and bay leaves are much more flavorful in the orange and yellow varieties than in the maroons. Some varieties can even be rather bitter, so it pays to research and sample your selection before serving (or planting). The fun and flavor that edible flowers impart to meals are well worth the short detour from the vegetable plot. So grab your clippers and head for the flower border.