Edible Flowers

Don’t overlook the blossoms tucked in your garden.  Many can be used to garnish tea sandwiches, salads, chilled soups, desserts and appetizers. Only garnish with edible flowers!

Below is a list flowers that will look great at your next party: 

Calendula officinalis- looks great as confetti on salads

Chive blossoms- always break the blossom into small florets because flavor will be too overwhelming. Sprinkle on potato salad.

Day Lily (hemerocallis)-Decorate large platters with these formidable blossoms.

Mint (mentha)- Many varieties are refreshing as sprigs in chilled beverages

Nasturtium (tropaeolum majus)-Imparts a peppery flavor to salads and vinaigrettes

Pansy (viola)- Beautiful stuffed in ravioli.  It looks translucent.  Top with a basil béchamel sauce.

Rose (Rosa)- Excellent with julienned vegetables and a ginger rose vinaigrette

Sage (salvia officinalis)-Beautiful garnish for chicken dishes

Signet Marigold ( Tagetes signata)-Taste like spicy tarragon.  Remove the white part from the end of the petal where it is attached to steam- very bitter- this flower can be dried and used for autumn and fall tea parties- Sprinkle on English hard-boiled eggs with tarragon sauce.

Squash blossoms (curcubita) –Unusually used for cooked recipes such as blossoms stuffed with goat cheese and deep-fried

Anise Hyssop ( agastache foeniculum)- Top salmon tea sandwiches with this deep purple blossom

Apple ( Malus)- A springtime accompaniment to fruit parfaits. Mildly sweet and floral flavor.

Bee Balm (Monarda Didyma)- Our favorite at Mootz Run, Ltd.  Unfortunately, very short blooming season.  Comes in an array of colors and looks great in cakes, frostings, seafood and tartlets.  Subtle citrus flavor.  The Native Americans made “ tea” from this plant.

Borage (Borage officinalis)- A beautiful light blue blossom. Crystallize in sugar for desserts, float on chilled cucumber soup, and toss in a chilled bean salad.

Dianthus (dianthus caryophyllus)- These are known as pinks. Adorable blossoms to garnish chicken or seafood. Remove the bitter base of the petal

Sweet Woodruff (gallium odoratum)- These flowers have a nutty vanilla flavor- any one taking coumarin should avoid.  Does have a blood thinning effect in large amounts.  Delicious on custards and puddings.