| I'M LOOKING FOR A LIST OF EDIBLE FLOWERS. IS THE PANSY BLOOM EDIBLE? |
| A great reference book is "Edible Flowers: From Garden to Palate" by Cathy Wilkinson Barash, pub. in 1993 by Fulcrum Publishing in Colorado 1-800-992-2908. First of all, do not eat flowers if you have asthma, allergies, or hay fever. And eat only those that have been grown organically and have no pesticide residue. Collect flowers for eating in the cooler parts of the day -- preferably early morning after the dew has evaporated. Choose flowers that are at their peak, avoiding those that are not fully open or are starting to wilt. Immediately before using, wash the flowers, checking for bugs and dirt. Remove the stamens and styles from flowers before eating -- the pollen can detract from the flavor and some people are allergic to it. Remove the sepals of all flowers except violas, Johnny-jump-ups, and pansies. Only the petals of some flowers, such as rose, calendula, tulip, chrysanthemum, yucca, and lavender are edible. (You can eat the entire flowers of johnny-jump-up, violet, runner bean, honeysuckly, and clover.) Roses, dianthus, English daisies, Signet marigolds, and chrysanthemums have a bitter white portion at the base of the petal where it was attached to the flower; remove before using. Dandelion leaves are delicious in salads or cooked as a green. The flowers are edible when young; they become bitter with age. Remove dandelions' sepals--they are bitter. You can also eat both the flowers and the leaves of nasturtiums. I hope this gives you some pointers. |
