You can use edible flowers to create beautiful garnishes for your food!

It’s fun to use edible flowers to garnish your food.  My gardens are in full bloom right now with every color imaginable!  I have dwarf zinnias in reds, yellows, pinks and white.  Purple coneflowers ( otherwise known as Echinacea ) , white coneflowers (as shown above), lime green coneflowers, pineapple lilies,  shasta daisies, roses, nasturtiums, geraniums, impatiens, lavender, snapdragons and more!  As much as I enjoy my flowers outside, it’s fun to bring them indoors too!  I make cut fresh flower bouquets for my kitchen so I’m always enjoying the beautiful colors and scents.  

It is so simple to use fresh cut flowers to add some pizzazz to your food too!  Garnishing food only takes a few seconds and the results are spectacular!  Here is a simple garnish I made for my Crockpot Orange Chicken recipe.

 Now I am using the term “Edible Flowers” only because you should make certain that the flowers you use are edible, even if you only use them as a garnish.  I have never eaten a flower but I may eventually try some in a salad.   I’ll give you several suggestions for flowers that are safe but you can also check out this Edible Flower List. The other important advise to to make certain that the flowers you use have not been sprayed with any pesticides or chemically treated.  The safest flowers are the ones from your garden because you can be certain that they have not been sprayed with anything that would not be food safe.  You should never use flowers from a florist for garnishing your food – no matter how beautiful they are.  

Here are some edible flower tips

• Use flowers you know are safe
  
• Use flowers you have grown yourself
• Never use roadside flowers or flowers from a flower shop or nursery
• You can keep your cut flowers fresh by placing the stems in a moist paper towel and refrigerating in a sealed container.  They can last up to 10 days when stored this way. 
• The best time to cut your flowers is early to mid-morning or early evening.  Remove the stamen and pistil.
• Clean the flowers by shaking them to remove insects and bits of dirt.  Gently wash each flower with a soft spray of water and then arrange on paper towels to air dry.

Edible Flowers

1. Dandelion – delicious in salads.  They have a sweet flavor, like honey
2. Carnation – great for salads or as a garnish
3. Petunias
4. Chive blossoms
5. Lavender
6. Pansies – beautiful in salads
7. Rose petals
8. Violets
9. Hibiscus
10. Geranium leaves
11. Dianthus
12. Impatiens
13. Nasturtiums
14. Sage blossoms
15. Snapdragons
16. Violets
17. Bee Balm
18. Borage
19. Chamomile
20. Chrysanthemum petals

This in only a partial list but you can see how easy it is to bring the beauty of your garden to your table.  

Remember, let’s Make Life Special by sharing great food with our family and friends!  Enjoy!