Find out which flowers you can eat. Discover edible flower petals to garnish your plates, or dress up a salade. Have you ever been to a restaurant and had a beautiful flower used as a garnish on the plate? Did you eat it? Were you unsure as to whether you should or not? Many flowers Are indeed flowers you can eat, but some chefs might not be certain as to which ones are, so I suggest you don't eat any flowers used for garnish, unless you know yourself that they are safe to eat. While some are perfectly safe, others can make you very sick!
Know the Source
It might be a good idea to eat only flowers that you grow in your own garden, so that you can be sure they have not been treated with any pesticides.
Never eat flowers from a nursery, florist, or ones picked from the roadside!
Edible Flowers
FLOWERS
Amaranth Burgundy (grains)
Bachelor’s Button (garnish)
Bee Balm Dotted Mint (float in punch, garnish for salads)
Calendula (peppery, colorful salad garnish)
Carnations (cake decoration)
Clary Sage
Coreopsis Plains Dwarf Bicolor (decorative in salads)
Nasturtium (hot and peppery, beautiful spicy addition to salads)
Snap Dragon (garnish)
Sunflowers (green buds are edible, petals nice for garnish, seeds when mature)
Pansy (candied, cake decoration, salads)
Petunias (garnish)
Poppy Hungarian Blue Breadseed (seeds)
Violet (candied, cake decoration, salads)
Roses
Pansy or Johhny Jump Up
this is a very short list, view
Many more Edible Flowers here
The list refers to the flower petals, not the bitter white part.
Edible Herb and Vegetable Flowers
There are many flowers you can eat from herbs, as well as some vegetable flowers. I again Caution you to be absolutely sure you know which ones are safe, and that you are eating the right ones!
Chives (common or garlic, garnish, salads, soups, flavored oils or vinegars)
Cilantro / Coriander
Dill (soups, dips, seafood)
Fennel (licorice taste)
Lemon Balm (lemony flavor)
Marjoram
Mint – Spearmint (tea)
Oregano
Rosemary (meat, seafood, vegetables)
Sage (meat, beans, add to stuffing)
Savory
Sorrel (tart, lemon taste)
Thyme Basil
Bee Balm
If you make Herb Butters, using some of the flowers from the particular herb you are using, will dress up the butter, and add a bit more flavor.
Vegetable Flowers
Peas (raw pea flavor, *** Do not eat ornamental Sweet Pea flowers ***)
Quinoa (grains)
Radish (spicy)
Squash (stuff and fry blossoms)
Pumpkin (stuff and fry blossoms)
Scarlet Runner Bean (salads)Squash flowers
This is a very small list of vegetable flowers you can eat. Many more can be found at the link above, along with lots more information about eating flowers.
You can plant a whole garden of Flowers that are edible! Find lots of ideas on
Edible Landscaping
and get some tips on planting and growing these flowers.
Looking for
Rose Recipes
to use up those rose petals? You'll find Sugared Rose Petals , along with Rose Petal Jelly to name a few.
Books for reference
All of these books are a great source of reference to guide you in choosing your flowers to eat. Lots of pictures, and even recipes to show you how to make these wonderful edible flower treats!
Subscribe to my occasional News Letter for tips and advice on growing roses organically,along with some rose crafts and even recipes! You'll find new roses and old favorites.
Simply "All" about rose gardening!
