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