Edible flowers?
 

Any tips on what varieties you grow for edible flowers?

One of the YouTubers I love to watch is "Marion's Kitchen," a channel full of pan-Asian cooking. One of her recent ones was making these beautiful, artistic Vietnamese-style rice paper rolls ("summer rolls" usually to me). She made them varied and colorful with various fillings, herbs, a thin egg lining, and dotted with pretty edible flowers. I can't describe to do it justice: [url]https://youtu.be/Bio-EzNZtWY[/url]

I see SeedsNow offers an Edible Flower 'kit' with a few selections (anise hyssop, signet marigold, Johnny-jump-up, mixed nasturtiums, and garland chrysanthemum) that I might try. Would love to make these summer rolls all dressed up for a holiday party or something. :)

Or maybe I'm just hungry! :)

Nasturtiums of all colors. Nutritious and beautiful. Great in salads on in sandwiches.

The same goes for marigolds (calendula).. Pansies (viola) are edible too, but I never tasted them.

Many herbs have pretty flowers..

Here's a great list of edible flowers ........ with some helpful hints for fully enjoying their flavour

[URL="https://www.westcoastseeds.com/blogs/garden-wisdom/list-of-edible-flowers"]https://www.westcoastseeds.com/blogs/garden-wisdom/list-of-edible-flowers[/URL]

Lest we not forget hibiscus tea.
I happen to keep a big bag of the dried flowers I get from a Mexican store ; pretty cheap too.
It is called Jamaica in Mexico.
Much cheaper than the fad foo foo stuff you get in a regular store.

Rose petals are also edible.

Turks cap!


It's a pretty shrub with reddish flowers, always in bloom. The flowers taste like watermellon. It dies back in the winter, so you cut them down to the ground once they die with the first frost, but they bounce back every year. You can also eat the seed pods.



One of my neighbors walking his dog gave me the stink-eye as he observed me picking and eating a few of these off of my plant. He probably though I was weird, but who in the heck cares.





[IMG]https://plantsgalore.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Turks-cap-mallow-Malvaviscus-arboreus-768x576.jpg[/IMG]



[IMG]https://dallasgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/Turks-cap-WM-1080x675.jpg[/IMG]

Honeysuckle leaves and flowers can make a medicinal tea that shows antiviral properties and has been used in traditional Japanese medicine.

Zucchini blossoms. They make an awesome Mexican Squash Blossom soup, topped with a dollop of sour cream. Can sprinkle a little crumbly cheese on top too if you like.

Squash Blossom Soup

1/4 stick butter
1 onion, sliced
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 pound squash blossoms (about 4 cups)
1 cup half and half or heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Grated anejo cheese (for garnish)

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Saute the onions and garlic seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook about five minutes. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 10 to 12 minutes add the blossoms and cook 5 minutes longer.

2. Transfer soup to food processor and puree until smooth. Strain soup back into saucepan. Pour in the half and half and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper and top with grated anejo cheese, a dry, crumbly Mexican cheese somewhat like parmesan, which can be used instead, for a somewhat different taste.

Squash blossoms are a treat generally unavailable to all but home gardeners and habitués of farmers markets. They’re so extraordinarily perishable that few supermarkets bother trying to keep them in stock.

Both the male and female blossoms of winter and summer squash varieties can be used interchangeably. The male blossoms appear at the end of thin stems and can be harvested without curtailing production of squash. . If using male squash blossoms, remove the stamens first. The female blossoms form at the end of the buds that grow into squash and are often harvested with the tiny, nascent squash still attached.

Squash blossoms are edible raw or they can be incorporated into a variety of recipes. But once you’ve clipped them out of your garden or brought them back from the farmers market, don’t tarry long. “Be warned,” writes Kate Heyhoe, of Kate’s Global Kitchen. “Squash blossoms live about as long as mayflies—at worst a few hours, at best a few days, and only in ideal conditions.” Heyhoe has stored them successfully for as long as two days, “but not without rinsing them, letting them air dry on the kitchen counter, then wrapping them in paper towels, carefully nesting them in a sealed plastic storage container, and refrigerating them in the crisper at a precise controlled 34 degrees.”

squash/zucchini/pumpkin blossoms second that sentiment

Borage & violets