Make your dishes pop with edible flowers as a garnish.
Edible flowers have been used to beautify dishes and enhance recipes for centuries.
“When using edible flowers, you experience flavors ranging from spicy to bitter to floral.
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Flowers are almost their own version of spices,” she says.
Nancy Hughesis a pastry chef and food stylist.
She also co-ownsOWL Bakeryin Asheville, North Carolina.
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Roses
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Roses (Rosaspp.)
are excellent for adding a fruity essence to your teas and jams during spring.
If you’re using rosewater instead of real rose petals, use it sparinglya little goes a long way.
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Hughes recommends lining your vegetable garden with marigold plants and using the blooms in your recipes.
“They’llkeep pests awayand deliver a flavor both bitter and sweet,” she says.
Squash Blossoms
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It’s impossible to forget your first fried zucchini blossom.
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Lush, juicy, andsodelicious, these yellow flowers appear in zucchini and squash plants (Cucurbita pepo).
you could also stuff the blossoms with a very soft cheese for a Southern take on the edible flowers.
Violas And Pansies
Violas (Violaspp.
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), often sugared and used in desserts, are a staple in boutique chocolateries and modern bakeries.
The apple-scented, daisy-like flowers also make a beautiful groundcover in sunny gardens.
If you will be eating calendula flowers, only use the petals.
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The centers are bitter and should be discarded.
The edible flowers make a gorgeous salad garnish that tastes very similar to radish microgreens.
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