Delicious flowers that you can eat

During the colder months of the year we have a tendancy to stay indoors and eat more than usual. We also crave comfort foods that are higher in carbohydrates and sugar since it’s the body’s way of building up and maintaining reserves. When spring arrives, our eating tapers off and in summer we usually lean towards lighter meals including salads. That said, you can only enjoy a green salad so many times before it becomes boring. All the more reason to add fresh flowers to your diet. While flowers are usually thought of as decorative items, there are also plenty of varieties that you can add to your diet.

Before you raid your garden for anything that smells and looks good, you should do some research. Look up recipes and find out about the types of flowers that are safe for consumption as well as those that are not. Remember that sometimes the flowers are safe to eat but you need to beware of the leaves or sap. Only the edible parts of any plant should be added to your meal.

Roses, carnations, lavender, and pansies are all popular edible flowers. Plum, banana, and apple blossoms also add flavour and colour. However, you should only eat the petals of chrysanthemums, sunflowers, calendulas, and gladiolus flowers. Sunflower seeds can be eaten of course but you should not eat the rest of the plant. Asfor yarrow, dahlias, tulips, delphiniums, poppies, and agapanthus, these flowers are not safe to eat.

You might be tempted to use non-edible flowers to decorate your plates but this is also not a good idea. If somebody consumes the flower by accident or if the toxic properties of the flower spread to the other food on your plate, it can cause serious side effects. Some flowers are so toxic that consumption can even result in severe vomiting and death.

When shopping for flowers to add to your meals, you should also look for those of the organc variety. Avoiding pesticides is important since some harsh chemicals can cause serious side effects after ingestion. No matter how well you wash the flowers, these chemicals are in the soil which means that they are absorbed by the plant and flowers. Yes, you should still wash your flowers before eating them but this is more for the purpose of removing dirt and bugs.

Finally, if you want to know which flowers to add to specific meals, you should look for recipes online. There are plenty of meals that call for flowers to be used as a garnish as well as those that use flowers as one of the main ingredients. Proper pairing of flowers and other ingredients will ensure the best flavour.