They ensure a good mood in the flower bed or balcony box – and on the plate: edible flowers.
Many cannot imagine a balcony or a garden without something in bloom. And rightly so: flowers are colorful eye-catchers in the garden, on the terrace and on the balcony.
The splashes of color in green aren’t just there to draw admiring glances. They also fulfill an important task: flowers attract bees, bumblebees, butterflies and other insects so that they can fertilize the plant and fruits such as apples, tomatoes or raspberries can develop.
Edible flowers not only as decoration
But many flowers are also edible for us. Depending on the plant, we can use the petals or even whole flowers in the kitchen. And not just as a decoration: With their sugar-sweet to peppery-spicy aromas, edible flowers give dishes and drinks a special touch.
Some edible blossoms are also valued in the natural medicine cabinet: tea made from lavender blossoms, for example, is said to help with stomach and intestinal problems and problems falling asleep. Infusions made from mallow are said to have a cough-suppressing effect. And the flowers of chamomile have even made it onto supermarket shelves as a tea infusion.
Edible or poisonous?
Flowers, vegetables, herbs and shrubs: Edible flowers can be found in every category. Unfortunately, they do not show whether flowers of a certain plant or species are edible. To be on the safe side, you should inform yourself in advance and be sure of what you have in front of you before you harvest and process it. If you are unsure: better leave it alone.
The blossoms of wild garlic, borage, buckwheat, daisies and elder are usually considered edible
The following flowers are inedible or even poisonous: columbine, Christmas rose, monkshood, angel’s trumpet, foxglove, laburnum, autumn crocus, lily of the valley, buttercup, hemlock, sweet clover, deadly nightshade and nightshade plants such as tomatoes.
You can do this with edible flowers
Edible flowers have many uses in the kitchen – fresh, dried, raw, cooked, made into syrup or jelly, or preserved in vinegar and alcohol. Herb and vegetable blossoms usually refine savory dishes, flower blossoms are particularly suitable for sweet dishes and drinks.
For example, you can spice up green salads with the freshly plucked flowers of nasturtium, cornflower, borage, rocket and daisies. When chopped, they transform herb quark, dips and herb butter into colorful eye-catchers that you can smear on bread and baguette or serve with boiled potatoes, steamed vegetables and grilled meat. You can turn elderflowers in batter and fry them and serve them as a main course. The same goes for zucchini: simply fill the blossoms with cream cheese – or the corresponding vegan alternative – and enjoy with a salad.
Edible flowers also in desserts
You can use edible flowers in many ways: If you prefer something sweeter, you can decorate desserts and cakes with candied rose petals or violets. Homemade pralines and broken chocolate become real eye-catchers with dried blossoms of lavender, rose, marigold and cornflower. They also give herbal salt and biscuits a special touch.
But edible flowers not only look good on the plate, they also look good in glasses and cups. Dried rose and jasmine blossoms refine green teas, while cornflowers and marigolds provide splashes of color in herbal mixtures.
Blossom ice cubes are culinary eye-catchers in summery cocktails. You can make a liqueur or dessert wine from fresh dandelion flowers. Fresh violets are useful for flavoring vinegar and sugar; you can also process them into syrup. Incidentally, elderflowers are also suitable for the latter – if you don’t want to make jelly or fry them.
