The flowers are a delight to the eye in the garden, on the balcony or on the windowsill and offer bees, butterflies and other insects vital food, but they can do much more than simply give us their beauty.
Many flowers have edible petals, umbels, and leaves. which are excellent ingredients for salads, desserts or refreshing drinks. But be careful, not all flowers are edible, some are even poisonous to humans.
These flowers are edible
Have you ever wondered what chamomile infusion is made of? That’s how it is, of the flowers of the chamomile plant. So we eat some flowers or drink their extract without thinking too much about it. But there are many more edible flowers. Here We present some of them in more detail:
1. Meadow daisy
We all know the meadow daisies, As children we made necklaces and bracelets with them, and we certainly tried one flower or another.
And that is absolutely correct, because the white and yellow flowers are full of healthy bitter substances, and fortunately, the flowers with white petals and yellow buds do not have a poisonous double.
Do not pick flowers from meadows where animals graze, next to busy roads or near former industrial enclaves. The soil there may be contaminated, and with it the daisies.
meadow daisy flowersThey look beautiful in a sandwich and they have a delicious flavor. They are also perfect in salads or as a garnish in soup.
2. Nasturtium
The nasturtium blooms bright yellow, orange and red and snakes its colors on the walls or trellises of the houses.
The medicinal plant of the year 2013 not only looks beautiful, but is also used in natural medicine, e.g. for bacterial, urinary tract and respiratory tract infections.
Its colorful flowers have a spicy flavor, slightly similar to watercress. You can eat the flowers as they are, but they taste even better in salads, in quark-type fresh cheese with other aromatic plants, and in butter. or even as an edible decoration in soups or desserts.
You can also eat nasturtium leaves and use them to flavor salad dressings, soups, or spreads. The dried buds are a good substitute for pepper.
If you want to use the whole plant, you can use it with olive oil and salt to make a pesto-type sauce.
3. Elderberry
Elderflowers are used to make a lemonade in summer. But you can do even more with things with them.
Can cutting black elderflowers from bushes in spring from the beginning of May to the end of June and even eat them raw. Since the other parts of the plant should not be consumed raw, it is best to dry the flowers for later use.
Important when collecting; Do not confuse the light yellow edible flowers of the black elder with the flowers of the lesser elder.
Fortunately, both flowers can be distinguished: the lesser elderberry does not grow more than 1.5 meters, the berries have a slight dent and grow upwards (in the black elderberry, the berries hang down). In any case, if you are not sure, do not take them.
elderflowers They can be baked, processed into jelly or taken as an infusion.
4. Dandelion
Dandelions can be eaten. Both the yellow flowers and the toothed green leaves provide minerals and bitter substances.
The dandelion It helps digestion and stimulates appetite. However, as with the meadow daisy, do not pick flowers and leaves near busy roads.
You can boil dandelion flowers and turn them into a syrup:
- Boil about 300 g of flowers with two liters of water
- Remove from heat and let infuse overnight.
- The next day filter the infusion through a cloth and squeeze the flowers with it.
- Mix a kilo of cane sugar into the infusion, bring to a boil again and cook over low heat until a thick syrup is formed.
- If you wish, add a splash of lemon or orange juice.
The flowers also taste good when prepared as an infusion. Can prepare dandelion leaves as a salad or mix them with olive oil, walnuts, Parmesan cheese and garlic to make a pesto.
5. zucchini flowers
The zucchini They provide us with important vitamins, minerals and iron. Small zucchini can even be eaten raw. But not only are zucchini eaten, the flowers are also edible and, in this case, a delight.
There are several ways to prepare zucchini flower. One option is Fill them with cheese and steam them. Before cooking, it is important to gently open the flowers and cut the pistil with scissors to prevent them from making the recipe bitter.
Another option is to fry them, after washing, drying and coating them. To do this, you can mix flour, beer and salt to create a homogeneous paste and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before dipping the flowers in the mixture and frying them.
Edible flowers, pros and cons
- Since the delicate petals bend quickly, it is better to collect them in an open basket.
- Before processing or eating the flowers, Wash the collected leaves and umbels carefully but thoroughly and shake them well.
- If you don’t have a flower meadow nearby, You can buy edible flowers at a nearby organic market, in organic stores or online.
- Prepare edible flowers quickly so that they arrive fresh on the plate.
- You just have to consume meadow daisy and dandelion flowers in small quantities, Larger portions are unhealthy and can cause digestive problems.
How to prepare edible flowers
The good thing about edible flowers is that There are no limits to your imagination when preparing them.
Can put fresh flowers on sandwiches or in a summer salad, dry them, cook them, turn them into gelatin or syrup. Edible flowers can also be preserved in alcohol or vinegar.
- The flowers They generally have a rather sweet taste and are therefore suitable for desserts, sweet foods and drinks.
- The flowers of aromatics or vegetables, On the other hand, they go well with stews.
You can also dry different flowers and mix them with table salt to make a floral salt. Well bottled it can make an excellent gift.
What flowers are not edible?
Many flowers are not very digestible, some are even poisonous. Poisonous plants include:
- Columbine
- Christmas rose
- Aconite
- angel trumpet
- Foxglove
- Laburnum
- Ranunculus
- wild saffron
- Lily of the valley
- Hemlock
- sweet clover
- Belladonna
If you’re not sure if a flower is edible, don’t take the risk and leave it where it is. And if you find edible flowers during a walk, pick a few, so that it doesn’t show that you’ve passed by there; The bees need them more than you.