Conscious Choice: Beauty and the Feast

September 2003 | Cooking with the Seasons

Beauty and the Feast

by Terra Brockman

This is the time of year when the horn of plenty begins to overflow. Produce of all kinds are flooding in from farms and gardens. And among this bounty are flowers...yes, the colorful and aromatic beauty that we drink in with our sight and smell but also those with which we can tickle the palate!

Edible flowers have been used throughout history in a variety of dishes, for both culinary and medicinal purposes. In fact, the categorization of plants into "medicinal" and "culinary" is only a few centuries old. Up until the Middle Ages, cultures around the world attributed therapeutic qualities to plants and included them in their daily diet because they were beautiful, tasted good, and would promote health and long life. Even today, Chinese cuisine uses day lilies for both culinary and medical purposes and Middle Eastern fare includes flowers, especially roses and lavender, in many desserts. Even in Victorian America, candied violets, lilacs, and rose petals were once commonplace confections. But sometime around the turn of the century, the use of flowers in food disappeared. Now is as good a time as any to rediscover them.

A handful of edible flowers can transform the simplest meal into a thing of beauty and a delight for all the senses. Each flower has its own distinct color, flavor, and aroma. Salads can take a wide variety of flowers, including the flowers of any garden herb — marigold has a spicy, slightly herbal taste; hibiscus lends a fruity, citrusy flavor; nasturtiums start sweet and end with a delightful peppery bite. Brilliantly colored pansies, and the more pungent chrysanthemum are good additions to soups and pastas. Daylilies and squash blossoms can be stir-fried or batter-dipped and deep-fried. Bright yellow calendula flowers make an economical substitute for saffron. Blossoms with perfumed floral flavors, like lavender, violet, and rose add a colorful contrast to rich desserts like dark chocolate cakes, mousses, even brownies.

In addition to knowing which flowers are edible (see list below), you need to know how the flowers were grown and whether they were chemically treated or exposed to vehicle exhaust fumes. For this reason, it’s best not to eat flowers from florists, nurseries, or garden centers. So where can you get edible flowers? Your own garden would be the most reliable source. The next best would be from a local organic farm or farmers’ market. See www.localharvest.com to find one near you.

Common Edible Flowers:

Calendula: Slightly bitter with a rich gold color, used as much for color as for flavor.

Chrysanthemum: Tangy, slightly bitter, ranging from red to white, yellow and orange.

Day Lily: Slightly sweet with a mild vegetable flavor, in bright shades of yellow, orange, and peach. Darker shades are slightly bitter while the pale yellows and oranges are sweeter.

Hibiscus: Cranberry-like flavor with citrus overtones and a brilliant red color.

Lavender: Sweet, floral flavor with lemon and citrus notes.

Marigold: Citrus scent and spicy, herbal flavor ranging from tangy to bitter, in bright yellow or orange.

Nasturtium: Spicy and peppery, with a pungent, watercress-like taste, in shades of orange, yellow, red, and cream. The leaves are also delicious additions to salads or sandwiches.

Pansy: Slightly sweet, in a wide variety of colors, including purple, blue, maroon, yellow, red, orange, and white.

Rose: Sweet, with subtle undertones ranging from fruit to mint to spice. The most popular culinary varieties are rose damascena and apothecary rose.

Violet: Perfumed flavor in a variety of colors, including blue, yellow, and white.

Nasturtium Salad

(Adapted from The Savory Way, Deborah Madison, Bantam Books, 1990)

1 cup small nasturtium leaves, stems removed

1 bunch watercress

1 small head soft lettuce such as bibb or Boston

3 Tablespoons olive oil or walnut oil

1 Tablespoon champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar

1/2 cup loose nasturtium flowers, petals separated

1 hard-boiled egg, yolk and white separated

A few whole nasturtium flowers for garnish

1. Carefully wash and dry the greens.

2. Place in a large, flat-bottomed bowl. Toss with oil, then add vinegar and a light sprinkling of salt. Toss lightly again.

3. Cut the petals into strips and scatter them over the greens.

4. Chop the egg whites into very fine dice and scatter over salad.

5. Force the yolk through a sieve over the greens.

6. Garnish the plate with a few perfect whole flowers. Serves four.

Basil Calendula Rice

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup jasmine rice

1/4 cup chopped shallots

2 cups water

1/4 cup finely chopped calendula petals

2 Tablespoons fresh minced basil leaves

Whole calendula petals for garnish

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Sauté rice and shallots until shallots are soft.

2. Stir in water, cover, and cook on medium heat until rice is fluffy, about 30 minutes.

3. Add basil and calendula and mix well. Garnish with whole calendula petals and serve hot. Serves two.

Terra Brockman is the director of The Land Connection Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving farmland and promoting small-scale, diversified, organic agriculture in Illinois. Visit www.thelandconnection.org or call 309-965-2407 to learn how to get involved.

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