Everyone knows that flowers are pretty to look at. But a lot of people don’t realize that many of those delicate blossoms are also quite edible flowers.

A few years ago at the local farm market I attend, one of the vendors had implemented the ingenuous idea of selling “edible bouquets.” They were exactly what they sound like. Aesthetically pleasing bunches of flowers that were also one-hundred percent edible.

A few edible flowers include:

Dandelions – Though generally thought of as a weed, dandelion leaves go great on a salads. They can rival many traditional vegetables with their health benefits. My grandmother used make wine from the dandelion heads, which I’ve heard was quite excellent.

Squash blossoms – Those big yellow flowers that appear on your squash vines and eventually turn into pumpkins are very edible flowers. They’re quite delicious when fried up with a little butter and Cinnamon.

Violets – With violets both the flowers and the leaves can be eaten. They make beautiful candied flowers are also a good addition to jelly, so I’m told.

Day lilies – These flowers are often seen growing along the roadside. The blossoms have a sweet flavor even when eaten raw and provide a good source of vitamin C. (A warning, however, they are poisonous to cats)

Pansies – The pretty blossoms of these plants have a sweet taste and go great when added to salad and the like. They also look lovely on cupcakes. (However, these can also be poisonous to pets. So humans only).

Red Clover – Again, generally thought of as a weed, those big purplish globes that grow out in open meadows have some of the sweetest sugar you’re ever likely to taste. These are so good, I don’t even add them to food. I just grab a few and suck on the blossoms as I’m walking through the field. Tasty!

A fun way to use edible flowers is to “sugarize” them. You can make sugared flowers by boiling together a little water and sugar, which will create a type of paste. Dip your flowers in the sugar paste and let them harden. You can then use them to decorate cakes. Or skip the sugaring process altogether and just decorate the cake directly with the flowers for more vibrant colors. No marzipan roses here!

Warning: Although some flower blossoms are edible, many others are quite poisonous. You should never eat a flower blossom if you don’t know what it is. Even if you do know what the flower is, you may have an allergy to it that you don’t know about. Always use caution.

By Amber Reifsteck, The Woodland Elf

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