Vegan Food & Living - October 2017

86 VEGAN FOOD & LIVING OCTOBER

I

believe that fl owers can taste as good as

they look. There are more than 100 edible

fl owers grown in the UK alone and I have

dozens of these in my garden. I welcome the

earliest fl ash of colour in the year from primroses

and violets which, like all the fl owers I eat, can be

scattered on salads, puddings and savoury dishes

or incorporated into cooked recipes. It is also

worth crystallizing fl owers to extend their life for

decorating food.

There is nothing new about eating fl owers. The

Ancient Greeks and Romans enjoyed them and

Middle Eastern cooks were thought to be the fi rst

to use marigolds in their food centuries ago. John

Evelyn wrote about adding fl owers to “other

salleting” (salads) in the 1600s, and Hannah

Glasse recorded recipes that used fl owers in the

18th century.

The taste can be powerful, so use them

carefully. Herb fl owers are a good place to start

experimenting, as they normally taste milder

than their leaves. Try basil fl owers over a tomato

and mozzarella salad, delicate cow parsley-like

coriander/cilantro blossoms, sage fl owers in

salads and fennel.

You can now buy nasturtium and pansies, for

example, in food shops, but it is better to grow

your own if you can. You will know they are

chemical free and have not been picked from

hedgerows near polluted roads. The best time to

harvest fl owers is in the morning after any dew

has dried, but before the heat of midday. Herb

fl owers have their highest oil concentration and

fl avou r just before the blooms are fully open.

Wash them, dry on paper towels and store for

a short time in a freezer bag at the bottom of the

refrigerator. If you are adding them to a salad,

put a dressing only on the salad leaves and add

the fl owers at the last moment before serving.

Edible flowers

Borage

Borage is my favourite edible fl ower because of

its true blue beauty, delicate shape and delicious

cucumber taste. It was popular with the Ancient

Romans and still grows wild in some areas. I fi nd

the plants pop up everywhere, even in long grass,

so I move young plants when the ground is wet

to areas where they will thrive. Borage adds style

and taste to desserts, soups, salads and drinks.

Like many people, I add them to ice for drinks and

I am known by the children in our village as “the

woman who puts fl owers in her ice cubes”. You

can also freeze them in olive oil to add later to cold

soups. Blue anchusa, rose petals, violas and chive

fl owers can also be frozen in water or oil.

Primrose & violet

Primrose and violet plants edge one

of my herb beds, bringing subtle

colour and fl avour to recipes. I

use both the fl owers and leaves of

primrose in salads and their fl owers, like

violets, can easily be crystallized.

Day lily flowers

Day lily fl owers have a crunchy texture and a

peppery taste. They can be added to salads or

stuff ed with a herb fi lling before being sautéed.

Pinks or Dianthus

Pinks or Dianthus have a spicy scent and delicate

fl avour. I particularly like using the subtle variety

called Clove Pink.

Judith Hann takes us for a walk among the

beautiful fl owers to pick edible ones that will

make your dishes truly Instagramable

Judith Hann takes us for a walk among the

Edible Flowers

owers, like

ay lily fl owers have a crunchy texture and a

peppery taste. They can be added to salads or

stuff ed with a herb fi lling before being sautéed.

inks or Dianthus have a spicy scent and delicate

fl avour. I particularly like using the subtle variety

VFL17.EdibleFlowers.indd 86 07/09/2017 11:50