Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Edible Flowers

Emilie writes~ At a local restaurant, they serve some dishes, especially salads, with cut garden flowers. Is this safe or are they merely garnishes?

A. Many flowers are safe to eat and can be quite special. Choose from the list below, as some flowers can irritate digestion. When harvesting flowers from your garden, do not cut any flowers which have been sprayed with pesticides, even from plants which have been treated with soil systemics. These are not safe as chemicals can reside in the tissues for some time. Organically grown flowers are most safe. Try some of these popular flowers:

Bachelor Buttons: long-lasting blue, pink or white flowers which can be used whole or broken up for attractive confetti mixes.

Broccoli flowers: a good way to use broccoli heads which have gone to flower.

Calendula: use in flower confetti; long-lasting orange, yellow and bicolor petals.

Hollyhocks: large impressive blooms to accent dishes.

Marigolds: citrusy, tangy flavor; yellow, rust orange and bicolors. Use whole or broken petals.

Nasturtiums: peppery flavor; can be used whole as garnish or broken up and added to confetti; can be stuffed with soft cheese and eaten as appetizer.

Scarlet Runner Beans: good for use in salads; red and bicolor.

Squash blossoms: can be stuffed and fried or used as a garnish; usually males are used, but females can be served with tiny squash attached. Popular in Latin cuisine.

Pansies and Johnny-Jump-Ups: particularly good for decorating cakes, sweets and salads; long lasting; wide range of colors.