Edible Flowers: Beauty and Flavor from Your Garden

Beyond vegetables, flower gardens can feed you. Chive/garlic blossoms (milder than bulbs) zest salads. Calendula/marigolds = "poor man's saffron." Carnations taste like cloves (remove bitter base). Rose, lavender, hibiscus, scented geraniums flavor custards/sorbets. Pansies, violets, Johnny Jump-Ups: salads, sugared cake decor, frozen in punch ice cubes. Daylily blossoms: stuffed and fried. Nasturtiums: spicy with snow peas/pasta or cream cheese stuffed for appetizers.

Safety First

Only eat flowers you've grown—guarantees no pesticides/inappropriate fertilizers. Use vegetable-safe fertilizers. Then eat the daisies!