Pretty Enough to Eat: Portland Blooms With Edible Flowers

Tuesday, July 07, 2015

Amélie Rousseau, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Squash blossom

Pretty enough to eat: Squash blossom

Portland is bursting with beautiful blooms this year. And many of them are not just pretty, but palatable too.

Nothing embodies love and beauty more than a fresh flower. But what if you could have your bouquet and eat it, too?

We all enjoy flowers for their splendor and fragrance in the garden, but let’s not overlook their versatility as a delectable food source. Whether they garnish salads and entrees, infuse syrups for cocktails, or are candied to decorate cupcakes, the possibilities are endless and always add a touch of romance in the kitchen.

Herb & Vegetable Flowers

Many edible flowers don’t taste like much, but if you’re looking for flavor, then consider the flowers of fresh herbs. Many culinary herbs produce delicious blossoms that offer a stronger flavor than their leaves.

Attentive gardeners usually pinch off the delicate white flowers of basil or cilantro to keep the plants producing longer. Before you drop them into the compost bin, consider sprinkling them in salads, salsas or on heirloom tomato slices.

The whimsical purple globes of the chive plant in flower are beautiful sprinkled over a baked potato or scrambled eggs in place of the stems. Oregano or thyme blossoms are perfect on fresh pasta, while the vibrant blue of rosemary flowers adds a pungent yet slightly sweet punch to any dish.

Dill flowers can be added to pickling brine for a mild dill flavor. Catnip flowers offer a spicy-sweet mint flavor to chocolate desserts.

Lavender blossoms can be dried and added to a jar of sugar. In a few weeks the infused sugar will be ready to flavor tea, whipped cream, cookie dough or cake batter with the relaxing aroma of lavender fields.

In the vegetable garden, look no farther than the ever-bearing squash family. To make sure your future crop isn’t decimated, pick only the fuzzier male flowers, which have only one pistil inside and no enlarged ovary on the base of the flower. Stuff these massive blossoms with mozzarella and prosciutto or julienned mint and feta for a Greek variation. Batter and fry the blossoms for an irresistible summer appetizer.

Broad bean flowers are also delicious in salads, which have an exotic orchid-like shape and carry the delicate taste of fresh beans.

The nightshade family’s flowers (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and potatoes) are toxic and should be avoided.

Candying Flowers

Painting petals

Forget tediously piping frosted roses onto cakes. Why not use the real thing?

All you need to candy flowers is a small paint brush, a beaten egg white and some super fine sugar. Some classic choices are violets, pansies, rose petals, borage flowers, primroses, citrus flowers, begonias, and fuchsias. To candy, beat an egg white until slightly frothy to break up the proteins and allow for a thinner, paintable consistency. Paint both sides of every petal with the egg white, then sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar. Place on a cookie sheet and let dry completely, usually 12-36 hours. Store flowers in a jar in the refrigerator for up to one year.

This is a great summer activity to do with children, as they can help pick the blooms themselves and there is no messy paint to clean up afterwards!

Flower syrups are another easy and elegant way to preserve the flora of summer all year long. How about serving up hibiscus whiskey sours or lavender martinis for your next cocktail party? Simply steep petals in boiling water, strain out, and then add sugar to this flower ‘tea’ to make simple syrup. The syrup will thicken as it cools and stores in an airtight container indefinitely.

Play around with different combinations to get the perfect flavor and color.

There are thousands of edible flowers right in your neighborhood with endless culinary possibilities. When cooking with flowers remember to only harvest and eat flowers that you have grown yourself or that you know have not been sprayed with pesticides. Store-bought flowers are not organic and should never be consumed. Call the Multnomah County Extension Service (503-445-4608) to find out what flower species are edible.

Once you stop to smell (and eat) the roses, you’ll never look at a flower the same way again. Happy hunting.

Rose City Salad Dressing

•   4 leaves fresh basil
•   20 scented rose petals (fresh)
•   1/2 cup olive oil
•   2 tbsp sugar
•   1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
•   salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

Chop the basil and rose petals. Mix in all other ingredients. Keeps for one week.

An urban farmer and master gardener, Amélie Rousseau writes for fellow explorers and eaters of the plant kingdom. It's a jungle out there.

Home Page Photo Credit: visualpanic via Compfight cc

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This summer is expected to bring plenty of heat, so in order to cool off GoLocalPDX has you covered as to which swimming holes you should visit. If you're up for a drive be sure to check out some of these locations around Portland.

Pretty Enough to Eat: Portland Blooms With Edible Flowers

Herb & Vegetable Flowers

Candying Flowers

Rose City Salad Dressing

Related Slideshow: Top 20 Swimming Holes to Visit this Summer

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Triangle Lake

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