A Variety of Culinary Creations Featuring Edible Flowers

John Gerard, The Herbal, 1633

Menu
Floral ice cubes
Stuffed daylily blossoms
Lavender infused applesauce
Creamy Floral omelet
Rose petal scones with rose petal honey and confetti butter
Tropical chicken salad with mangoes and pineapple sage
Fruit salad with sweet violets

Introduction
Calling all macho men. You too can eat flowers and live to tell the tale. My husband (AKA Mr. Meat and Potatoes) has eaten an assortment of edible flowers that I pick fresh from my organic garden in a variety of my original culinary creations. All that's needed to complete this festive meal is a vase of fresh flowers to decorate your table.

My husband and I like to entertain quite often at our house. We host a variety of brunch, lunch and dinner parties throughout the year that we invite our friends and family to. I like to feature foods that incorporate some of the herbs, flowers and vegetables that I have growing in my organic garden. It's particularly inspiring if you invite your guests outdoors into your garden to help you harvest the flowers fresh from the field which will then be featured as part of their meal.

I like to allow my guests to pick out the exact types of lettuces, herbs and flowers that they want to have added to their own individual appetizer size salads. After cleaning off the greens I add each guests salad ingredients to a small salad bowl. Prior to serving I let each of my guests add the dressing of their choice to their bowl of salad. Then they can enjoy sprinkling the petals of the edible flowers they have chosen on top of their salad. If you toss the flowers along with the dressing they may become soggy before your guests have a chance to enjoy their salad. This article includes recipes featuring edible flowers that can be served along with the salad for a complete floral themed party.

When using edible flowers in any of these recipes makes sure they are free of any dirt or insects. You should be able to brush off any debris that may be present with a soft cloth such as a dry paper towel. See the safety precautions section of this article to familiarize yourself with the rules for using edible flowers in your own recipes.

Types of Edible Flowers
The top 10 ornamental plants with edible flowers that I like to cook with are:

Borage (Borago officinalis)
Clove pinks (Dianthus caryophyllus)
Daylilies (Hemorocallis fulva)
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus)
Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans)
Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis)
Roses (Rosa spp.)
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus)
Sweet violets (Viola odorata)

Most herbs with edible leaves also produce flowers which can be used in a variety of culinary creations. Some of my favorite herb flowers to use in my recipes are basil (Ocimum spp.), dill (Anethum graveolens), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), mint (Mentha spp.) and garlic chives (Allium tuberosum).

The Recipes
Floral Ice Cubes
Place an ice bucket full of these decorative ice cubes on your buffet table. Serve them along with a variety of cold drinks such as iced tea, lemonade, limeade and fruit punch.

Water
Ice cube trays
Edible flowers and flower petals

Fill each section of 4 ice cube trays half way with water. Add a small edible flower or a few edible flower petals to each section. Fill each section to the top with water. Place the trays in the freezer until the ice cubes are frozen.

Stuffed Daylily Blossoms

Daylilies are a wonderful food source. The unopened flower buds, opened blossoms and even the roots can all be used in a variety of culinary recipes. Dried daylily petals, sometimes referred to as golden needles, are used in Asian style cooking such as hot and sour soup.

15 daylily blossoms
Two (8 ounce) packages cream cheese - room temperature
2 tablespoons chive blossoms - broken into individual florets
¼ cup chives - snipped with scissors
2 teaspoons onion powder
Lettuce leaves

Remove the interior portions (i.e. pistils and stamens) of each daylily blossom being careful not to tear the petals. A pair of tweezers may be helpful to perform this step. Add the softened cream cheese to a small mixing bowl. Thoroughly stir in the chive florets, chives and onion powder. Carefully spoon approximately 1 ½ tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture into each of the daylily blossoms. Place the stuffed blossoms onto a serving platter that has been lined with lettuce leaves. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 15 stuffed blossoms.

Lavender Infused Applesauce
This applesauce tastes great with either granola or wheat germ sprinkled on the top of it. If you don't have access to fresh lavender flowers you may substitute 2 tablespoons of dried lavender flowers.

6 cups apples - peeled, cored and diced
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup lemon juice
1/3 cup fresh lavender flowers
Additional lavender flowers for garnish - optional

Add the apples, sugar, water, cinnamon and lemon juice to a large pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to medium low. Place the lavender flowers into the center of a double layer of cheese cloth and tie the cheese cloth closed with a piece of string. Add the bundle of lavender flowers to the apple mixture, cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and discard the bundle of lavender flowers. Mash the mixture to a smooth paste using a potato masher and simmer the sauce for another 20 minutes with the lid off.

Store the apple sauce in a quart size glass canning jar in the refrigerator until ready to serve. If desired you may garnish each individual portion of applesauce with a fresh spring of lavender prior to serving. Makes approximately 3 cups of applesauce.

Creamy Floral Omelet
Use your favorite type of herb flowers when making this omelet. My favorite types of flowers to add to this omelet include fennel, dill, garlic chives, and chives.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 eggs
¼ cup heavy cream
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup fresh herb flowers - chopped
½ teaspoon salt - optional
¼ teaspoon black pepper - optional

In a large frying pan heat the oil over medium heat. While the oil is heating up add the eggs, cream, cheese and flowers to a mixing bowl and whisk well. Stir in the salt and black pepper if desired. Pour the egg mixture into the heated frying pan. When the eggs are firmly cooked fold the omelet in half and place it onto a large serving platter. Cut into 6 wedge shape pieces prior to serving.

Rose Petal Scones
This recipe is a variation of a scone I have served at Tea Parties hosted at my house. Make sure the roses you are using are aromatic, many hybrid roses are very beautiful but lack fragrance. The best types of roses to be used in cooking include dog rose (Rosa canina), damask rose (R. damascena) and rugosa rose (R. rugosa).

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup (1 stick) butter - chilled
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh rose petals - white heel removed and chopped

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl sift together the all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the whole wheat flour. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife or two knives until it has the texture of coarse cornmeal. Stir in the cream and rose petals until a stiff dough is formed. Place the dough onto a well floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes adding additional flour if necessary to prevent the dough from sticking.

Coat a rolling pin with flour and roll out the dough to approximately ½ inch thick. Use a 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter to cut out the scones. Continue rolling out and cutting scones until all the dough has been used. Grease two large 13x9 inch cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray. Place the scones onto the sheets and place the sheets in the oven. Cook the scones for 25 to 28 minutes until light brown on the bottom. Serve with rose petal honey or confetti butter if desired. Makes approximately 30 scones.

Rose Petal Honey
This honey can be made with any type of aromatic edible flower such as roses, lavender and sweet violets. The honey can be used to flavor teas and puddings or spread on top of scones, toast and muffins.

1 cup honey
1/2 cup fresh rose petals - white heel removed

Spray a measuring cup with nonstick cooking spray before measuring out the honey to help prevent it from sticking to the cup. Place the honey and rose petals in a small sauce pan set over medium low heat. Simmer the honey for 30 minutes making sure it does not boil. Strain out and discard the petals. Store the honey at room temperature in a container with a tight fitting lid such as a pint size glass canning jar with screw on lid. Makes 1 cup of flavored honey.

Confetti Butter
Use this butter to spread on top of scones, toast and muffins. Delicious flowers to use for this butter would be roses, clove pinks, or sweet violets.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter - room temperature
1/3 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons minced edible flower petals

Add the softened butter to a small mixing bowl. Add the confectioner's sugar and mix well with a hand held electric blender until the butter is light and fluffy. Stir in the flower petals by hand using a large spoon. Store the butter in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Makes 1 cup of flavored butter.

Tropical Chicken Salad with Mangoes and Pineapple Sage
Spearmint tastes best in this recipe but any of the culinary mints may be used such as peppermint, pineapple mint or orange mint. Pineapple sage flowers have a drop of sweet nectar at the bottom of each flower. This nectar often attracts a variety of pests to the flowers. After I pick the flowers I place them on a light colored dry towel for a few minutes to let any bugs that may be present to crawl out of the flowers before adding the flowers to my recipes.

2 cups chopped ripe mango (approximately 3 mangoes)
2 (10 ounce) cans chicken breast - drained and flaked
2/3 cup fresh mint leaves - chopped
1/3 cup pineapple sage flowers
Zest from 2 limes
2 tablespoons lime juice

Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir well. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This salad may be offered along with an assortment of crackers and bread sticks if desired. Makes approximately 4 cups of salad.

Fruit Salad with Sweet Violets
Sweet violets are one of the few edible flowers that can be consumed whole. There is no need to separate the petals from the rest of the flower as with most other edible flowers, just be sure to remove the green sepals that may be present at the base of each flower. Sweet violet leaves are also edible and can be used in moderation in green salads. Use whatever berries are in season for a total of 3 pints.

½ pint raspberries
1 pint blueberries
½ pint blackberries
1 pint strawberries - hulled and sliced
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup sweet violet flowers

Add the raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries to a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and stir well. Store the salad in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Sprinkle the violets on top of the salad prior to serving. Makes approximately 5 cups of salad.

Display Ideas
I like to serve this brunch buffet style to allow each guest to help themselves to their favorite items. The majority of your guests will not have had any experience eating edible flowers. I like to label each food item so that my guests know what they are being served. Here are a few suggestions to use when decorating the buffet table.

Use plastic plant markers to label each item that is being served. Tape the marker in place on the side of each serving platter or bowl.

Use inexpensive planters made out of plastic or terracotta to contain various menu items such as scones, crackers and bread sticks.

Buy inexpensive paper plates, napkins and table cloths with a floral theme at your local party supply store.

Display a vase or two of fresh flowers and herbs on top of the buffet table. I like to use edible flowers and herbs in these bouquets so my guests can see what the flowers looked like before they were added to the recipes.

Safety Precautions
You are usually consuming only the petals of the flowers being used. Remove individual petals from the flowers and brush off any debris or insects that may be present. Roses and clove pinks have a bitter white heel at the base of each petal that needs to be cut off before using.

Flowers used in your recipes must be free from any harmful pesticides and fertilizers. I use organically grown flowers that I harvest from my own garden. Your local farmers market or health food store may offer edible flowers for sale. Avoid flowers from nurseries, florists and garden centers unless they are specifically labeled as being organically grown and safe for human consumption.

Always identify flowers you plan on ingesting by their Latin name. Some plants share the same common name but the Latin name is an unique identifier for each individual plant.

Resources
There are many vendors which sell a variety of edible flower products. I have listed a few to help get you started. For a more comprehensive list do a search on one of the on line search engines such as www.google.com.

Edible Flower Seeds & Plants

The Gourmet Gardener
Website: www.gourmetgardener.com

Richter's Herbs
Website: www.richters.com

Dried & Fresh Flowers
Earthy Delights
1161 E. Clark Road, Suite 260
DeWitt, Michigan 48820
1-800-367-4709
Info@earthy.com
www.earthy.com

Fresh Origins
1575-B Mulberry DR
San Marcos, CA 92069
1-760-736-4072
David.freshorigins@earthlink.net
www.freshorigins.com

Bibliography
Consult a good reference book for a complete listing of flowers that can safely be used in your culinary creations.

Bown, Deni. The Herb Society of America New Encyclopedia of Herbs. DK Books, 2001.

Brown, Kathy. The Edible Flower Garden. Lorenz Books, 1999.

Creasy, Rosalind. The Edible Herb Garden. Periplus Editions Ltd., 2000.

Smythe, Lynn. "A Spring Floral Brunch." The Herb Quarterly, Spring 2004, pages 44-48.

Tenebaum, Frances (series editor). Taylor's 50 Best Herbs and Edible Flowers. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999.