Flower Foodstuffs: Experiment 1 [texture, shape, flavor]

This entry is documentation of my first experimentation with edible flowers in foodstuffs. 

Last week I headed to the Union Square Greenmarket at 7:30 a.m. to vie for what was left of the season's edible flowers. I took all that Two Guys from Woodbridge had left in the name of edible flowers which was four small containers of calendula, borage, tarragon and pansy flowers. Later that day my professor, Natalie Jeremijenko, and I started what was to be my first experimentation with edible flowers. 

The goal of the experiment was to incorporate the nutrient density of edible flowers -- flowers as nutraceuticals -- into foodstuffs. In today's culture of convenience, where foods are designed around shelf life and cost of nutrients, how can we make a shift from food as calories and energy to food as nutrition? So we set out to make flower foods that taste and look delicious, and are also good for the health. Since flowers are so highly perishable, we thought about experimenting with edible flowers in foodstuffs while veering away from anything candy-like, especially taste-wise.

Experiment
We decided to use gellan gum (low acyl), a simple carbohydrate produced by fermentation and used in molecular gastronomy for gelification, in this first experiment. To experiment with texture, we toyed around with ratios of gellan gum to water and blended the mixture and a couple spoonfuls of inositol in a Vitamix to smooth out any clumpy bits before pouring it into various molds such as baking dishes, a silicon ice ball mold, glass plates and even a glass tabletop surface. We decided to try out a clumpy mixture, too, to see which of the two mixtures came out more appealing when hardened. We had decided to save flavoring for experiment 2 but ended up adding rose oil and cola concentrate because...why not. And when pouring these mixtures, we added edible flowers. 

Recipe
1/3 cup gellan gum [low acyl]
6 1/3 cups water [more or less depending on preferred texture]
2 spoonfuls inositol
edible flowers [calendula, borage, tarragon and pansy flowers]
flavoring of choice [rose oil, st. john's wort, cola concentrate, lemon grass, cucumber...]

Results: The clumpy mixture hardened quickly while the smooth mixture took a little longer. According to Molecule-R, "Dissolution occurs between 85°C (185°F) and 95°C (203°F) and gelling takes place on cooling between 10°C (50°F) and 80°C (176°F)." 

Both mixtures came out quite beautiful. The smooth mixture came out clear while the clumpy mixture came out with little bubbles showing throughout (see below).

We noticed that when we poured the mixture into the silicon ice ball molds and onto the glass plates, added flowers and then poured more of the mixture on top, the first and second pourings didn't solidify and instead could be easily peeled apart. So, we realized we could only pour into a mold once, consistently and fast. We placed flowers at the bottom of the mold, poured the mixture and then added more flowers while pouring. The silicon ice molds created a plastic-y, bouncy ball look which didn't totally rule it out as a possibility but I preferred the pieces that were cut out of the baking dish (see below).

Thoughts for round 2: Making a powder out of dried edible flowers to add to mixture; using cucumber to flavor gellan mixture...

Photos: Caitlin Keller

Edible Flowers 101

Pansies

My very first encounter with eating edible flowers was at a farm in Big Sur, California, just a fews years ago. I worked on this farm for a couple of months and as I grew accustomed to the lay of the land and familiarized myself with the plant-life around the property, I also discovered the medicinal qualities of various flowers around the farm through an herbalist friend. Throughout my stay on the farm, I snacked on the likes of California poppy, borage, nasturtium, calendula, Johnny Jump Up and pansy flowers. 

I've listed edible flowers that I currently know of below and will update the list as I discover others. For more information, check out The New York Botanical Garden and Treehugger -- both have useful webpages on edible flowers.

Anise hyssop: sweet, anise
Apple blossoms

Arugula flowers

Bee Balm  

Tuberous begonias: slightly lemon

Borage

Broccoli flowers

Chamomile

Chives 

Chrysanthemum: slightly to very bitter 
Dandelion

Daylily: sweetish, flowerish
Dill
Geraniums
Gladiolus
Hibiscus 
Lavender
Marigold (calendula): bitterish, clove-like 
Milkweed flowers 

Nasturtium: sharp, cress-like
Pansy, Johnny Jump Up and Viola: sweet
Edible peas 

Pinks (dianthus or carnation)

Poppy

Rose
Snapdragon
Squash blossoms 
Strawberry 
Tarragon 

Violet

Squash blossoms

Did you know that edible flowers can be dried, pickled, frozen, candied, made into oils, vinaigrettes, jellies, marinades, teas, spreads/butters and infusions? Our culture tends to use edible flowers as garnishes on a cupcake or in salads for aesthetic appeal but the nutritive quality and antioxidant activity of flowers are good reason to rethink our consumption, or lack thereof, of flowers.

The nutritional importance of edible flowers can be broken down into three major components, according to an article in Trends in Food Science and Technology on "Fresh edible flowers of ornamental plants -- A new source of nutraceutical foods":

1. Pollen: "rich source of proteins, amino acids and carbohydrates, saturated and unsaturated lipids, carotenoids, flavonoids, etc."

2. Nectar: "contains a balanced mixture of sugars (fructose, glucose and sucrose), amino acids, proteins, inorganic ions, lipids, organic acids, phenolic substances, alkaloids, terpenoids, etc."

3. Petals and other parts of flowers: "important source of aforementioned compounds as well as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc."

Borage

Works Cited: Mlcek, Jiri, and Otakar Rop. "Fresh edible flowers of ornamental plants–A new source of nutraceutical foods." Trends in Food Science & Technology 22.10 (2011): 561-569.
<http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2011.04.006>

Photos: Caitlin Keller