Edible Flowers

Need that something extra to add interest to your meal?

FLOWERS:

Calendula - use petals in soups, soufflés, rice dishes, baked goods and to garnish salads

Marigold - use in salads, garnish and as "confetti"

Monarda - use in salads, fruit salads or to garnish drinks

Nasturtium - use leaves and flowers in salads, as a garnish or stuff flowers with soft cheese

Sunflower - fry buds or use petals as a garnish in salads

Viola - use to decorate desserts and salads or as garnish

FLOWERING HERBS:

Basil - garnish salads, soups and desserts

Borage - add blossoms to salads, garnish cold drinks, freeze in ice cubes

Chives - pull apart florets, sprinkle on salads, dips, sauces, soups & stir-fry

Coriander - add to salads and to chicken or spicy dishes

Fennel - use florets to garnish fish or dishes made with fennel and potato, add to salads

Sage - flower spikes can be battered and fried or used to garnish salads

Texas Tarragon - use as a garnish, in sweet dishes, salads or "confetti"

VEGETABLE BLOOMS:

Arugula - use as a garnish, in salad or as "confetti"

Broccoli - sprinkle on salads, poached fish or as "confetti"

Mustard - use to add a little bite to salads, sandwiches and soups

Okra - deep fry flowers or use as a garnish

Pea - use in microgreen salads or cake/pastry decorations

Scarlet Runner - use in sandwiches or salads and to garnish soups

Squash - stuff and deep fry, or slice and use in soups, omelettes, salads, pasta

BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY

If you are ever unsure of the safety of eating a particular plant, ring the NZ National Poisons Centre on 0800 764 766 or visit www.poisons.co.nz

• They have a 24 hour phone service or will email a reply quite quickly if the request for information is not life-threatening.
• They keep records of the oral toxicity of various plants.
• If no record of death or serious illness, they will suggest toxicity is low.
• That ingesting a small quantity will not cause undue harm.

Be cautious of aromatic plants such as Lavender, Anise Hyssop and Sweet Peas. For example, Lavender has around 50 different compounds, one of these being camphor. Not particularly edible!
Foxgloves are not edible - all parts are toxic.