Edible Flower Feast!

As the garden bursts forth in all of her gloriful bounty, my truest joy are the edible flowers. I love going out  to the garden in the morning, admiring the dew sparkling on their petals and taking in a deep breath of the dark, damp earth.  I love the buzz and the hum of the bees dipping and diving to sip on their nectar and the explosion of of eye candy color greeting me.

Here is a tribute to one of my morning walks and the enjoyment that ensued...  

 One of my favorite edibles, the calendula flower

The borage  inviting me to get up close and savor its exquisiteness

The hollyhocks towing above me in all their regal splendor

 Being in the presence of such beauty, I felt their beckoning to be touched tasted and experienced...so I decided to indulge myself!

A garden flower mandala!

After playing with the flowers we gathered them all up for our edible flower feast.

For the flower feast we we whipped up some of our favorite healthy icing (coconut milk ~ only the top half that stays hardish ~ with maple syrup), put it in the icing piper and squeezed a spiral of coconut goodness into each flower.

hollyhocks and borage

The girls and I enjoyed licking drips of coconut nectar and nibbling a variety of flower petal flavors.

nausturtiums with bee balm petals

calendula with a borage star garnish

squash blossom with bee balm petals

Here is a wonderful list of edible flowers you can grow!

• Calendula/pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) comes in yellow, gold, or orange flowers with a tangy, peppery taste.
• Garland chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum coronarium) produces mild-favored, flowers in shades of yellow to white.
• African marigold (Tagetes erecta) has white, gold, yellow, or red flowers with a strongly pungent flavor.
• Signet marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia) features white, gold, yellow, or red flowers with a citrus flavor.
• Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) has flowers in shades of white to red, with a watercress and peppery flavor.
• Pansy/viola (Viola spp.) has violet, white, pink, yellow, or multi-colored flowers with a sweet flavor.
• Petunia (Petunia hybrida) has a wide range of colors and a mild flavor.
• Garden salvia (Salvia officinalis) features blue, purple, white, or pink flowers with a slightly musky flavor.
• Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) has scarlet flowers with a sage flavor with pineapple undertones.
• Radish (Raphanus sativus) has yellow, spicy-hot flowers.
• Snapdragon (Antirrhinum spp.) has a wide range of colors with a bland to bitter flavor.
• Scented geranium (Pelargonium spp.) has white, red, pink, or purple flowers with flavors such as apple or lemon, depending on the variety.
• Scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) has bright orange to scarlet flowers with a mild, raw bean flavor.
• Squash (Cucurbita spp.) has yellow to orange flowers with a mild, raw squash flavor.
• Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) features white, yellow, orange, or burgundy flowers. Unopened buds taste like a mild artichoke. Flower petals are bittersweet.
• Tuberous begonias (Begonia x tuberhybrida) have white, pink, yellow, red, orange or multi-colored flowers with a citrus flavor.

Edible Perennial Flowers

Flowers of these perennials and herbs offer a broad range of flavors.

• Baby's breath (Gypsophila sp.) has white or pink flowers with a mild, slightly sweet flavor.
• Bee balm (Monarda didyma) features red, pink, white, or lavender flowers with a tea-like flavor that's stronger than the leaves.
• Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) have white, lavender, or purple flowers with a strong onion flavor.
• Dianthus/Pinks (Dianthus) have pink, white, and red flowers with a spicy, clove-like flavor.
• Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.) comes in a wide range of flower colors with a slight asparagus or summer squash-like taste.
• Borage (Borago officinalis) has blue, purple, and lavender flowers with a cucumber-like flavor.
• Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) have yellow, slightly bitter flowers.
• Red clover (Trifolium pretense) has sweet-tasting, pink or red flowers.
• Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) come in a wide range of colors with a bland to slightly bitter flavor.
• Tulips (Tulipa spp.) come in a wide range of colors and have a mild, slightly sweet flavor.
• Violets (Viola odorata) have violet, pink, and white flowers with a sweet to slightly sour flavor.

Thank you to edible landscaping for this list.

How fast the summer has seemed to fly by. As August is coming to a close I hope to spend more time in the garden, filling myself to the brim, before the garden goes to bed until the next growing season.  Feeling the need to * just be * in the garden,  so that during the long winter months I have a reserve of sunshine and flowers hiding within.
May you enjoy to the fullest these last weeks of glorious summer!

In the spirit of bare feet in the dewy grass

~ Shanti  ~