EATING FLOWERS
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I f you think flowers are icky in flavour, then you’re probably
having a flashback to your childhood and eating dirt as a
‘dare’. Flowers are delicious, you just have to know which
part of it you can eat, and which part is too strong or bitter.
If you’re planning to have a beautiful garden this year, plant
a couple of these edible flowers and take advantage of their
beauty and health benefits... go ahead, eat your garden!
Roses – the petals are mild and gentle tasting, and add a
refreshing fruity tone to any drink or salad. The darker the
petals, the stronger the flavour. Remove the white part of the
petal and eat the rest.
Chrysanthemums – the buds can be eaten and have a
mild honey-like, mint-like, and flowery taste. Plus, it looks
just spectacular in a salad! Just be sure to rinse well before
consuming, as they can be mass-produced.
Plant these edibles
next to each other:
Onions deter most
pests... plant them
throughout your
vegetable garden.
Dandelions – These are our favourites! The blossoms, when
young, have a sweeter and more honey-like flavour than any
other flower. If picked out of the garden, be sure to pick the
young leaves too, which are sold for premium prices at the
market! They’re great in salads... and grow wild!
Tomatoes repel
caterpillars that chew
on cabbage leaves.
Hibiscus – These flowers can be picked and dried for
making tea with, or eaten in salads as is... the flavour is of
citrusy cranberry, and their colour is because of their high
vitamin C content. If you haven’t tried hibiscus tea, you’re
missing out! A little goes a long way.
Sunflower – Did you know you can also eat the sunflower
bud? It’s delicious too, and tastes just like artichokes with a
little smokiness. Perfect for grilling in a pan!
Radishes repel
cucumber beetles.
Pansies – You can eat the whole flower for a ‘wintergreen-
like’ flavour, however the petals are milder. Great on baked
goods, juices, and in salads.
Lettuce tenderizes
radishes.
Onions and leeks
repel carrot flies.
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Read + hear more: www.silvergoldmagazine.ca
NOTE: Dandelions are one of the first
foods bees will eat after a long winter – Let
them grow just a bit before picking them off!
Bees need their food, to pollinate our food!