10 Edible Flowers to Beautify Your Plate

Edible flowers are great for adding a splash of color and little elegance to the dinner plate. Many edible flowers might already be residents in your flower garden, or they might be growing wild right in your backyard or neighborhood.

If you are looking for edible flowers in the wild, as well as making a 100% positive ID, make sure to be aware of the surroundings, and do not pick anything that might have been sprayed with pesticides or other harmful chemicals. The same goes for foraging in lawns or garden beds.  Make sure that the owner of the yard uses organic practices.

Have a look at this list of 10 edible and medicinal flowers that you can use in your kitchen. You can even start growing some of them for yourself.

1. Borage

Source: Rain Country/Youtube

Borage is a pretty plant with vibrant blue/purple flowers. Both the flowers and leaves are edible and have a mild cucumber flavor. Use the flowers and the leaves to adorn summer salads or to make a cup of herbal tea.

It is quite simple to grow borage for yourself, but be aware that it is a prolific self-seeder, so you will likely have borage popping up year after year. Another benefit is that bees love borage and are attracted to the beautiful and abundant blue/purple flowers.

2. Chicory

Source: EdibleWildFood.com/Youtube

Towards the end of summer, you can see blue chicory flowers forming a sea across fields and along roadsides. The leaves, roots, and flowers of the chicory plant are edible. The flowers can be added to salads for a bitter and peppery punch, and the tightly closed buds have been used to make capers by following a recipe for regular capers.

3. Allium Flowers

Source: Liz Zorab – Byther Farm/Youtube

Onions, leek, chives, shallots, and garlic all belong to the allium family. We are all familiar with the eating of allium bulbs and many of us will put leek and chives leaves in our soups and salads. However, the beautiful flowers of these plants are also edible. Not only do they beautify a meal, but they can also give that onion or garlic flavor in a way that is not too overpowering.

You can also add the heads of chives or spring onions to white or wine vinegar to make an oniony infusion for salad dressings.

4. Wild Violets

Source: Give it a Grow/Youtube

Violets are pretty little purple flowers that pop up all over lawns. They have edible leaves and flowers. The leaves go well in salads, and the flowers make a pretty and nutritious adornment. The flowers have a very mild flavor and work beautifully to decorate cakes and cookies. The wild plant is much easier to identify when in bloom, as there are a lot of lookalikes to the leaves. The flowers also make a stunning purple vinegar infusion, just like the chives (see above).

5. Sunflowers

Source: Haphazard Homestead/Youtube

Sunflower buds can be used and eaten like artichokes. Bear in mind that if you are growing sunflowers for the flower or the seeds, then this harvesting will leave you without. However, if you want to try a new veggie, harvest some buds before you see the petals appearing. Then, boil them in water for three minutes or until tender. After that, you can sautée them with onions and enjoy them as you would artichoke hearts.

6. Nasturtiums

Source: CaliKim29 Garden & Home DIY/Youtube

Growing nasturtiums in your garden is so worthwhile on many levels. They are very easy to grow, they self-seed, they are stunning and bloom for months, and the seeds, leaves, and flowers are a choice edible. The leaves and flowers have a very peppery flavor akin to arugula. The flowers are large and beautiful and add real flavor, as well as decor, to salads and soup.

7. Brassica Flowers

Source: Morag Gamble : Our Permaculture Life/Youtube

Plants such as arugula, cabbage, kale, broccoli, mustard, and radish come from the brassica family. If you allow these plants to go to seed, you will see them produce many small, edible flowers. They often have a very similar flavor to the vegetable they belong to with arugula flowers having a very peppery flavor and mustard flowers offering a familiar heat. Being petite, they are lovey as a garnish or for adding extra flavor to hearty soups.

8. Pineapple Sage

Source: Morag Gamble : Our Permaculture Life/Youtube

Pineapple sage is a gorgeous plant with abundant red flowers that pollinators love. The leaves have a very strong pineapple scent and make a wonderful tea.  The flowers, too, can be plucked and sucked for their delicious nectar. You can also pick a bunch of the flowers and make cold or hot tea infusions. They could also be added to cocktails for a bit of fun and elegance.

9. Rosemary

Source: mahalodotcom/Youtube

As well as the leaves of the rosemary plant, its tiny purple flowers can be eaten, too. The flowers have a much more delicate flavor than the leaves, but can still be used to garnish or add flavor to many dishes. The tiny flowers, as well as the leaves, can be added to oils and vinegars to make infusions for salad dressings and marinades.

10. Rose Petals

Source: Nature Instead with Sandi/Youtube

Recipes:

• Spring Salad: Edible Flowers and Dandelion Greens
• Spring Salad With Carrots, Beets, and Flowers [Vegan, Gluten-Free]
• Raw Chocolate Bark With Pistachios and Edible Flowers [Vegan]
• 10 Edible Flower Recipes

The petals from many different types of roses are edible and delicious. They can be used for many different dishes from jams and jellies to tea and vegan moon milk! You can also use the petals to flavor ice cream. You can use the roses growing in the garden, but make sure that you haven’t used any pesticides on them. You can also harvest just the petals, leaving the rosehip intact as this part of the flower can be used in other recipes.

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