Flowers In My Salad

For many years now I have added flowers to my salads.  I love the look they give to the dish, and I am sure they also contribute different nutritional attributes as well.

My husband would always groan when he saw flowers in the kitchen, and then laugh at me and eat my creations.  He really was a wonderful husband, but flowers are almost tasteless in a salad anyway.

A lot of folk are afraid to use flowers in food, the same way they are afraid to use wild fungi, and I think this is good.  Without knowledge of what you are using it is possible to make yourself and others ill, or worse.  Feeding someone a foxglove flower, for instance, would more than likely result in their having heart issues which could be fatal. 

There are four flowers that I use the most:  borage, calendula, heartsease pansy, and nasturtium.

Borage (Borago officinalis) is an annual herb with hairy leaves and gorgeous blue flowers (although there is also a white variety).  To use the petals – hold the flower underneath using the thumb and forefinger, then, using the other hand, grasp the stamens and gently pull the flower apart.  What is left is a blue star of petals, ready to use in a salad or as a garnish on other dishes.

Borage

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is often called Pot Marigold and was a common culinary plant in the Middle Ages.   It is a simple flower to use as the petals need only to be plucked or snipped individually off the centre of the flower.

Calendula

Heartsease pansy (Viola spp.) has a mild sweetish flavour and look quite exotic on food.  I use the whole flower (they are only tiny), trimming the stem away but leaving a tiny amount so that the flower remains whole.

Heartsease Pansy

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) are rather peppery in flavour.  They make a nice garnish as a whole flower, but petals can also be used shredded finely with a sharp knife.

Nasturtium

I have used other flowers and petals at other times as well, such as rose, dandelion, red clover, rosemary, and pineapple sage.  They add a bit of fun to everyday food.

Have you tried eating flowers?

Margaret