Published: April 28, 2008 10:20 am            

Flowers aren’t just for picking

JOPLIN, Mo. — Roses are red, violets are blue, flowers aren’t just for picking anymore, they’re tasty too.

Once popular for eating, spring blossoms have been mostly replaced by plant stems, roots, leaves or fruit on the dinner table. But some local plant and food enthusiasts insist edible flowers are coming back in style and with good reason.

“One of the important reasons to eat flowers is the amount of absorbable base metals in them,” said Bethany Kiele, owner of Isadora’s Wonderful Things in Joplin. “We don’t get nearly enough cleansing foods and flowers are nature’s way of cleaning us out from the winter sludge.”

Because of the cleansing nature of flowers, Dorothy Bay, biology professor at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin specializing in botany, said people shouldn’t eat a large amount of them. But she said adding the right ones to foods can add vitamins to spring and summer diets, as well as beauty and delicate flavor.

Bay and Kiele both caution that a good understanding of edible flowers is crucial because there are many that are poisonous, and even edible ones can contain harmful pesticides.

“They’re kind of like mushrooms in that the wrong ones can make you very sick,” Kiele said.

To be safe, Kiele said she doesn’t serve and people shouldn’t eat flowers grown in nurseries or along the side of the road, unless they are organically raised, because they could contain pesticides or other chemicals. Kiele said people should also avoid eating flowers if they have severe allergies. She recommends removing the pistils and stamen from the flowers and eating only the petals of large flowers.

She said flowers should be introduced into a person’s diet gradually, one at a time, to check for any adverse reactions.

Some edible flowers have such delicate flavors they should be used primarily as garnishes, while others have strong sweet or spicy elements.

Violets

The flowers can be eaten raw, put in salads, or candied and used in desserts. Kiele uses violets in her restaurant’s house salad and on some desserts. She said per serving, the flowers have more Vitamin C than any other food.

Shepherds Purse

Bay said the plant is a common weed found all over southwest Missouri. It’s in the mustard family and has a similar flavor and is crisp like water cress. It’s good in salads and on sandwiches.

Linden tree (Bass Wood)

Bay said the tree’s flowers have a fragrance “out of this world,” and make a wonderful tea when steeped in hot water, or a salad addition when used fresh.

Henbit, Spiderwort and Chickory

Bay said all three of the blue or purplish flowers have delicate flavors and are well suited for salads.

Cattails

Bay said the flowers are best used when young and full of pollen. The flower can be eaten, or the pollen used in place of flour in muffins. She said the flavor isn’t dramatic, but the pollen adds lots of protein to a dish.

Dandelions

The common yard weed can be used in salad, or fermented and turned into wine. Kiele said the flavor tends to be bitter and the plant serves as a good diuretic. They are sweetest when picked young.

Herb Blossoms

Kiele said most of the herbs common to this area — chives, rosemary, basil, dill, fennel, lavender, mint, marjoram, oregano, sage and thyme — have edible flowers as well. The flowers usually have a similar flavor as the leaves, but more delicate.

Borage

Gayl Navarro, owner of Ozark Nursery in Joplin, said the flower has a mild cucumber flavor that is tasty in salads.

Angelica

Kiele said her sources say unlike the plant’s leaves that have a light celery flavor, Angelica flowers taste similar to licorice and can be pale lavender blue or rose-colored.

Marigolds

Technically called Calendula, Kiele said her sources refer to the flower as “Poor Man’s Saffron” because of its flavor ranging from spicy and bitter to tangy and peppery. The flowers can be sprinkled on to soups, pasta, rice, scrambled eggs and salad.

Clover

Bay said the flowers have a sweet flavor that is nice as a tea, and can also add a licorice-like flavor to dishes.

Day lilies

Kiele said her sources on edible flowers list day lilies as a mix between asparagus and zucchini. The mild vegetable flavor is similar to a sweet lettuce or a melon. To use with desserts, cut the sweet petals away from the bitter base.

Impatiens and Pansies

Kiele said both flowers have a light taste and make pretty garnishes or salad additions.

Lilac

Kiele said her sources list these blooms as varying in flavor from perfumy to slightly bitter. They have a distinct lemony taste and can be added to salads.

Nasturtiums

These are some of the most commonly eaten flowers, mentioned by Navarro, Kiele and Bay. The bright orange, yellow or red flowers have a peppery flavor like radishes or watercress. They can be used in salads, as garnishes, with cheese, on sandwiches or added to savory appetizers.

Roses

Kiele said her sources list all roses as edible, with the darker varieties having a more pronounced flavor, like that of strawberries or green apples. The petals can be used in ice cream, frozen in ice cubes and floated in punch, or cooked into syrups, jellies, butters or spreads.

Melissa Dunson writes for The Joplin (Mo.) Globe.

Picking Edible Flowers:

Pick your flowers in the morning when their water content is at its highest.

Cleaning Edible Flowers:

Shake each flower to dislodge insects hidden in the petal folds. After removing the stamen, wash the flowers under a fine jet of water or in a strainer placed in a large bowl of water. Drain and allow to dry on absorbent paper. The flowers will retain their odor and color providing they dry quickly and that they are not exposed to direct sunlight.

Preserving Edible Flowers:

To preserve flowers, put them on moist paper and place together in a hermetically-sealed container or in plastic wrapping. This way, certain species can be preserved in the refrigerator for some 10 days. If the flowers are limp, they can be revitalized by floating them on icy water for a few moments; don't leave too long or else they will lose some of their flavor.

You can also store the whole flower in a glass of water in the refrigerator overnight.

Source: http://whatscookingamerica.net

Recommended reading:

The Herb Garden by Malcolm Hillier

Euell Gibbons’ Handbook of Edible Wild Plants by Euell Gibbons

The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook by "Wildman" Steve Brill

Candied Flowers

Ingredients:

1 egg white (using powdered egg whites help prevent salmonella)

100 proof vodka

Superfine granulated sugar

Thin artist's paintbrush

Violets, pansies, Johnny-jump-ups, rose petals, lilac, borage, pea, pinks, scented geraniums, etc.

Wire rack

Instructions:

Beat egg whites until frothy. Add a couple of drops of vodka to help the flowers dry quicker.

Using fresh picked flowers, paint each flower individually with beaten egg white using the artist's paintbrush. When thoroughly coated, sprinkle with fine sugar and place on the wire rack to dry. Flowers are completely dry when stiff and brittle to the touch.

They can be stored in an airtight container and put in the freezer for up to a year.

Candied flowers and petals can be used in a variety of imaginative ways including to decorate cakes, ice cream, sherbet, crèmes, fruit salads and cocktails.

Source: http://whatscookingamerica.net

Grilled Salmon with Nasturtium Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup shallots, finely diced

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste and freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup snipped nasturtium flowers

1/4 cup snipped fresh chives

8 (3 ounces each) pieces of salmon fillet

Chives for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat broiler or grill. Combine vinegar, shallots, and all but 2 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk until combined. Salt and pepper to taste. Add nasturtiums and chives. Rub salmon with remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place on grill for 3 minutes. Turn, and cook until done (about 3 more minutes, depending on thickness). Place two pieces of salmon on each serving plate. Whisk vinaigrette and spoon over salmon. Garnish with fresh chives.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: http://homecooking.about.com/

Dandelion Honey

Ingredients:

4 cups dandelion petals

4 cups water

3 (1/4-inch) thick slices lemon

1/2 vanilla bean, split in half

2-1/8 cups granulated white sugar

Instruction:

Pick dandelion flowers during the daylight while in full bloom, remove petals, then measure petals only.

Place petals in a heavy saucepan along with the water, lemon slices, and vanilla bean.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for 6 hours.

Strain dandelion tea through cheesecloth and discard solids. Place in a heavy saucepan and bring to a low boil. Gradually add sugar while stirring until sugar is dissolved. Lower heat and let simmer to desired syrupy thickness (may take up to 4 hours).

Dandelion Honey is great on toast, muffins, pancakes, and biscuits.

Yield: about 1 cup

Source: http://homecooking.about.com/

Curried Daylilies

From The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook by "Wildman" Steve Brill

Ingredients:

Sauté together:

1/4 cup sesame oil

8 cups daylilies, sliced

2 medium-size carrots, sliced

4 celery stalks, sliced

1 cup texturized vegetable protein (TVP), soaked for 10 minutes in 3/4 cup hot water, drained, soaking water reserved

1/2 cup raw cashews or peanuts

Sauce:

3/4 cup drained silken tofu

1/4 cup dark-colored miso

2 tablespoons curry paste

Juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon kudzu or arrowroot

Instructions:

To make the sauté:

Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add daylilies, carrots, celery, TVP, and cashews or peanuts. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes.

To make the sauce:

In a blender, combine tofu, miso, curry paste, lime, and kudzu or arrowroot. Process until smooth.

Pour the sauce into the skillet and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer the mixture for another 10 minutes.

Serve over brown rice or with Indian bread.

Yield: 6 servings

Source: http://homecooking.about.com/

Corn Tortillas with Fresh Flower Petals

From Chef John Sedlar of Abiquiu Restaurant in Santa Monica, Calif.

Ingredients:

1 pound masa flour

4 teaspoons salt

Cold water

Edible flowers, petals only (try confetti, nasturtium, pansy, roses or Johnny jump-ups)

Instructions:

Mix together flour and salt in medium mixing bowl. Slowly add water, as needed, and knead gently until a smooth dry masa is formed.

Remove small piece, roll into a ball (about half size of a golf ball).

Continue to do so until all masa is used. Next, take a tortilla press and between 2 pieces of plastic, place a masa ball and press half way.

Now open, remove plastic from show side of tortilla, lay edible flower petals on half-pressed tortilla, recover with plastic, and finish pressing. Remove tortilla and place it between 2 pieces of wax paper.

Continue process until all masa is used. On a warm griddle remove 1 piece of wax paper and place raw tortilla on griddle. Cook on one side until golden brown, about 45 seconds, then turn over and cook for 1 more minute; serve.

Yield: about 20 tortillas

Source: http://homecooking.about.com/

        

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