The Many Uses of Edible Flowers

Simply put, edible flowers are flowers that can be eaten. They are used both as a garnishment and an additive to a food dish.

As a garnishment you would use them to make flowers, tea, salads, cakes, and as decoration for other dishes. When added to a dish they add flavor. Generally edible flowers are added to cakes, ice cream, pickles, jams and many other types of dishes.

It is important to remeber to take precautions when using edible flowers. For one thing, with some flowers you should only use the petals. Also, if you have asthma, hay fever, or a serious health issue you need to stay away from edible flowers.

• Angelica: This flower not only is used commonly in it's candied form as a garnish but it also goes well with fish.
• Apple: A wonderful additive to many dishes that adds a delicate floral taste.
• Artichoke: Yes, an artichoke is a flower.
• Arugula: This is also considered a flower. It's a wonderful additive to a salad.
• Basil: This is a terrific flower that many already use in their everyday cooking.
• Bachelor button: A pretty flower that makes a pretty garnish for a cake or any other type of dessert.
• Banana: Make sure to only use the petals, the rest is poisonous.
• Chrysanthemum: Great for garnish and also makes a good health tea.
• Carnation: This is a beautiful garnish for wedding cakes and cakes for very special occasions.
• Chamomile: We all know how great a tea this flower makes.
• Citrus: Make sure you only use the petals of this flower. It lends a wonderful citrus flavor to tea and other dishes.
• Dandelion: These flowers make a wonderful wine.
• Daylily: This flower makes an incredibly exotic garnish.
• English Daisy: A pretty garnish and a tasty additive to a salad.
• Fennel: It adds a sweet licorice flavor to any dish.
• Freesia: This makes a beautiful delicate garnish
• Gardenia: A beautiful exotic looking garnish for cakes.
• Garlic Chives: These small white flowers are used frequently in Asian dishes.
• Hibiscus: Good as a tea and a tropical style garnish.
• Honeysuckle: What could be more beautiful than a honeysuckle garnish. This flower is also good in jellies.
• Impatiens:This flower is used by many bakeries as a garnish for cakes.
• Jasmine: This flower adds a sweet flavor to jelly and makes a heck of a tea.
• Lavender: This makes a beautiful delicate garnish and is good for making a health tea.
• Marigold: Great as a garnish for soup and salads.
• Mint: Makes a terrific tea and a great additive to many types of drinks and jellies.
• Okra: These flowers have a sweet flavor, perfect for salads and vegetables.
• Pansies: These make a colorful garnish to decorate desserts. They are also great as an additive to salads.
• Passionflower: A beautiful garnish for cakes and other fancy desserts.
• Rose: This is a favorite of brides. It's seen quite often as a garnish on wedding cakes.
• Rosemary: The beautiful colorful flowers make great garnishes.
• Snapdragons: Great for garnishes and as a salad additive.
• Tulip: This flower is often seen being used as a garnish at Easter time.

Candied Flowers

Ingredients

• 50 – 100 edible flowers
• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon rose water (optional)
• 2 -4 tablespoons superfine or caster sugar

Directions

1. Rinse flowers in a gentle spray of water. Set on a towel to dry.
2. Place water and sugar in a small pan. Cook over a medium heat until it begins to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until all of the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Dip flowers into sugar syrup using a stem or tweezers if the flower doesn’t have a stem. If you do not want any droplets on your flowers, you can brush the syrup on with a small paint brush.
4. Set flower on wax paper and sprinkle with fine sugar. Leave the flowers on the wax paper to dry for 2 hours.

NotesYield: 50 – 100 candied flowers or petals

I found this wonderful recipe on:

http://premeditatedleftovers.com/how-to-make-candied-flowers/

Dandelion Jelly

Ingredients:

2 or 3 cups fresh dandelion petals
2 1/4 cups
boiling water
3 cups of homemade green apple pectin
1/4 cup fresh lemon
juice (strained)
3 1/4 cups sugar

Makes 3 half pint jars, and can be
water bath canned.

Have sterilized jars, lids, and rings ready to
go.

To make the jelly:

Put the petals into a heat proof
bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Cover the bowl with a plate and steep
for ten minutes, or until the petals have lost most of their color.

Pour
the dandelion petal brew through a strainer into a six to eight quart pan. Add
the green apple pectin, lemon juice and sugar to the petal water, and bring to a
boil over high heat. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't boil over and
make a mess.

Cook until the temp reaches 220 degrees Fahrenheit (use a
candy thermometer to check).

Ladle into sterilized jars, lid up, and
water bath process for five minutes. Also, enjoy the jelly left in the bottom of
the pot that the ladle couldn't get- bread or crackers not required, but a large
serving spoon is recommended because the pot will probably still be very hot.

This recipe is shown on:

http://www.indieherbalist.com/2013/03/dandelion-jelly.html