Growing Edible Flowers
There are many edible flowers, but there are also many that are not only inedible but also harmful to eat, so be very careful when selecting your flowers. Growing edible flowers amongst your vegetable plants has benefits beyond how beautiful they are. Flowers attract bees and other pollinators to your vegetable plants. Also, the vegetation around the vegetable plants helps keep the soil moist and reduces the presence of weeds. I am going to explore just 4 of the many possible edible flowers with you now.
1. Nasturtium
Nasturtium is a very easy to grow edible plant. It is not picky about what type of soil you plant it in. Not only are the flowers edible, but the leaves and the seeds are as well. The flowers have a slight peppery flavor like arugula, and the leaves and seeds have a stronger peppery kick than the flowers. The flowers come in a few different varieties and many colors but usually yellow, orange and reds. They are great in salads or as a garnish for a savory dish. This year, I have been unable to find plants in the local garden stores, so I ordered Nasturtium seeds from Amazon.
2. Johnny Jump Up (wild pansy)
These tri-color (violet, white and yellow) flowers are just fun. They are fun to grow, fun to look at, and fun to eat. They are more of a spring flower, preferring the cooler temperatures. Like Nasturtium these are annual flowers, but if you leave some flowers to go to seed they will self-sow for next year. They have a very mild wintergreen flavor and are often used to decorate cakes (many chefs candy them for an even sweeter decoration). They also freeze really nicely in ice cubes and make a great cocktail presentation. Fill up half of the ice cube compartment. Then freeze the water. Place flower on top of ice and add water to fill the cube. Freeze again and you are ready to serve.
3. Squash flowers
These flowers stick around even after the squash starts growing. When the fruit becomes mature, the flowers die off and shrivel away. But before they become a zucchini, these flowers are an edible delicacy. Squash flowers can be eaten raw, or since they are so large they can be stuffed and baked or fried. Honestly I have not tried this yet, but I plan to this year so anyone who has a good stuffed squash flower recipe, send it my way!
4. Chive Flowers
Every year for the past 8 years, a small patch of chives emerges from the ground in my front yard garden. It is one of the first signs of spring in the yard. By early May, the chives start to get these beautiful lavender flowers. Not only are the chive leaves edible, but so are the flowers! You can clip them off whole and use them as a garnish, or you can break up the flowers and sprinkle the petals on a salad or a hot dish just like you would the chive leaves. Once my chives bloom, I will add more photos to this post!