5 Fun Flower Food Facts

Before getting to all the fun flower food facts, I’m going to start (and then finish) this post with a safety note.

CAUTION: With all flowers do not assume the variety you have is the edible variety. Check with an expert before you consume. Once you have positive confirmation you have the right variety of the right flower, follow the general safety rules for edible flowers that I wrote about HERE. 

With that in mind, here are five fun flower food facts.

1 -  Violets: Violets taste like mint. These pretty purple petals have a hint of mint making them a perfect garnish for sweet or savory dishes. The leaves are also edible, just cook them in the same way you would spinach.

2 - Roses: The most flavorful rose petals are those that are the most fragrant.   All roses (once they’ve passed the safety test) are edible, but if you want a lot of flavour, choose the really fragrant varieties. Roses are great to infuse liquids or as a garnish for baked goods. Full of vitamin c, they are also a perfect - and pretty - addition to salads.

3 - Dandelions: Dandelions are a highly nutritious edible flower. If you want to eat something packed full of nutrients, eat dandelions. Vitamin A and C, iron, calcium, phosphorus, fiber - you’ll get them all in a dandelion. Young dandelions have a sweet taste (reminiscent of honey), but the older they get the more bitter they taste. The yellow petals are a great addition sprinkled on a salad and the greens can be eaten raw, or cooked as you would spinach. And if you want to be adventurous, perhaps try your hand at making some dandelion wine.

4 - Hibiscus: The hibiscus flower is edible. Hibiscus are beautiful, colourful tropical flowers. Their blooms are so big, you don’t naturally think of them as edible. Even in Hawaii I’ve never been served anything with a hibiscus flower as part of the dish. Making tea from the blossom is the most common way it’s used, but you can also chop it up to add a colourful confetti look to a salad or dessert. Recently I’ve had hibiscus blossom in syrup as part of a festive drink.  You can find details HERE. 

5 - Crocus: You need a specific type of crocus to harvest saffron. As mentioned in my ‘caution’, many flowers have multiple varieties. Crocus is one of them. Saffron comes from the ‘saffron crocus’, not to be confused with the ‘autumn crocus’. Saffron (from the correct type of crocus), is a great way to add flavour and colour to many dishes. It works well in Mediteranean and Asian dishes, (particularly anything with rice), and it’s also popular in bread baking. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. To make sure you’re using the real thing, I’ve heard of a little test you can do. Place a little piece of saffron in a cup of warm water or milk. If the liquid colours right away, your saffron is a fake. The ‘real deal’ takes 10-15 minutes of soaking before the colour changes. With the price you’ll pay for it, you want to be sure your saffron is genuine.

Once again remember this caution: With all flowers do not assume the variety of flower you have is the edible variety. Check with an expert before you consume. Once you have positive confirmation you have the right variety of the right flower, follow the general safety rules for edible flowers that I wrote about HERE.