From Potager to Plate
Kitchen notes

Edible flowers

Which flowers are edible?

Borage, marigolds, nasturtiums, lavender, violets, pansies, roses, elderflower, and courgette flowers are all examples of edible flowers with a range of exciting culinary uses. They flower prolifically over the summer months and look superb in a kitchen garden as their bright colours, interesting shapes and gentle fragrance captivate the eye and stimulate the senses. To check whether a  flower is edible look in a reliable text such as The Royal Horticultural Society New Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses, published by Dorling Kindersley.  

Preparation and storage

Flowers need to be checked for insects, rinsed gently under running water and dried by carefully blotting with kitchen paper. Store cut flowers in a pretty vase while waiting to use them. Most will keep for a few days in a plastic bag placed in the salad compartment of the refrigerator. Edible flowers do not freeze well on their own but look very pretty frozen inside ice cubes and added to drinks. Small flowers such as borage are best for this purpose. Violas, rose buds and borage flowers can all be crystallized and stored for several months (see below).

Seasonality

Edible flowers are available from May through to the first autumn frosts.  

Uses

As a garnish

Edible flowers can be used to garnish salads, puddings and drinks. They may or may not be eaten but they are safe to use with other foods. Nasturtiums are ideal for salads as their flowers, leaves and pickled seeds can all be added into a mixed salad. Borage flowers are great for adding to cocktails, fruit salads, fresh fruit jellies and other puddings. Crystallized flowers such as borage, pansies, violas, violets and rose petals can be used to decorate cakes, buns and puddings.

To add colour and flavour

Calendulin is the substance responsible for the gold of marigolds and it will add both colour and flavour to foods such as rice and milk. If you soak marigold petals in warm milk (twice the volume of milk to petals) the milk quickly takes on a corn colour. The coloured milk can be used in cakes, breads, puddings and batters to brighten the colour of the product. Elderflowers are a good example of a flower with a fantastic flavour that can be used to flavour cordials and beautiful milk puddings.

To be stuffed or cooked

Cucurbit flowers such as courgette are mostly edible and make handy cases for tasty stuffings. Stuffed courgette flowers are a delicacy in Italy and unless you grow your own you will rarely have the opportunity to taste them in this country. Elderflowers can be made into delicious fritters.

Nutrition

The seeds of borage (Borago officinalis) contain a long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid known as Gamma Linolenic acid (GLA) which is important for a range of physiological functions within the body. The oil from this flower is commercially available and also known as star flower oil. The leaves and petals of plants contain a range of micro-nutrients such as vitamins and minerals and some important antioxidants, however these flowers are eaten in such small quantities that they would not make a significant contribution to the diet.

Recipes

Nasturtium cakes with langoustine or prawns
Serves 4

1kg waxy potatoes
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped chives
1 tbsp finely chopped shallots
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tbsp chopped nasturtium leaves
Sea salt and pepper
4 large langoustines or prawns

Ingredients for a herb salad such as:
Tarragon, flat-leaf parsley, chives, wild fennel, rocket, nasturtium flowers, borage and sage, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil, sea salt, pepper.

Peel and cube the potatoes. Bring 2-litres (3.5 pints) of salted water to the boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender. Drain well. Mash the potatoes, then beat in the olive oil, chives, shallots, grated lemon zest, garlic and chopped nasturtium leaves. Season to taste.

Let the potato mixture cool, and then form into small round cakes. Heat a little extra olive oil in a pan and fry the cakes over medium heat until golden and crisp.

Brush the langoustine with a little extra olive oil and grill until cooked. Serve the nasturtium cakes with the langoustine and a herb salad.

Light pannacotta, flavoured with lavender and stem ginger syrup
Serves 4

Pannacotta is a velvety, sumptuous mixture of cream and yogurt set gently with gelatine. Pannacotta can be flavoured in many ways - for example with a good quality vanilla essence or stem ginger syrup and lavender. Once you have mastered the basic recipe you can experiment by adding different flavours. Pannacotta is best eaten with fruit dishes such as compote in the winter, stewed young rhubarb in the spring, fresh raspberries in the summer and griddled fresh figs in the autumn.

150ml double cream
75ml semi-skimmed milk
2 tsp caster sugar
3 tsp stem ginger syrup
1 tsp dried lavender flowers
2 tsp gelatine
75 ml Greek yogurt

Edible flowers to decorate: lavender, borage, viola.

Gently heat cream, milk, sugar and lavender flowers until the sugar has dissolved. Leave for 10 minutes for the lavender scent to infuse the milk. This can be done in a microwave or in a small pan on top of the cooker. Reheat slightly (but do not boil) and add the gelatine. Stir until dissolved. Fold in the Greek yogurt and the stem ginger syrup. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, pour into four moulds and refrigerate until set. This will take approximately one hour. Just before serving dip each mould briefly in a bowl of very hot water and turn upside-down onto a serving plate. Decorate with strewn pretty edible flowers.

To crystallize edible flowers

Suitable flowers are: borage, pansies, violets, rose buds and petals.

450g caster sugar
300ml water

Rinse the flowers and dry carefully. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and stir over a moderate heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the sugar solution to the boil and when the temperature reaches 116C (soft ball stage - use a sugar thermometer to test this) the syrup is ready. If you do not have a sugar thermometer drop small amounts of the syrup into a glass of cold water. When they remain as small soft balls and sink gently to the bottom of the glass you will know the syrup is ready.

Turn down the heat to its lowest setting and add about 12 flowers to the syrup. Stir lightly and let them boil in the syrup for about 20 seconds. Lift the flowers out of the syrup with a slotted draining spoon and place on non-stick baking parchment. Separate the flowers. Repeat with two or three more batches of flowers.

Leave the flowers to dry in a warm dry place to dry such as an airing cupboard. When they are dry like little jewels, they are ready to use. They can be stored in an airtight container for two to three months.

Edible flower ice bowl - to serve fruit salad, sorbets, ice-cream or seafood

You will need two bowls, one slightly smaller than the other. Place one bowl inside the other. Fill partly with cold water. Place a selection of edible flowers between the bowls. Top up with water. Freeze for four to five hours. Take the bowl from the freezer 15 minutes before you are ready to use it as a serving bowl. Allow to defrost slightly and remove bowls. Fill with fruit salad, ice-cream, or a summer drink and place on a dish that will catch the water from the ice as it melts.

Further ideas on how to grow and use edible flowers

Bown, D 2002, The Royal Horticultural Society New Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London.

Flowerdew, B 2005, The Gourmet Gardener. Kyle Cathie Ltd, London.

Grigson, S 2000, Sophie Grigson's Herbs. BBC Worldwide Ltd, London.

Information provided by Dr Joan Ransley, Lecturer in Nutritional Epidemiology, University of Leeds.

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