Survival Gardening--Could Edible Flowers Be An Undiscovered Food Source in Your Garden?
by John Wesley Smith
I focus most of my gardening efforts on vegetables because that's what I'm better at growing. For some odd reason, I've never been that good with flowers. If you are, you might already be growing edible flowers and not even know it. They could be an undiscovered food source in your survival garden.
My first exposure to edible flowers was some years ago in a Master Gardening class, when one of the participants gave a presentation on her experience with edible flowers. As part of her demonstration, she brought in little cheesecake cups with an edible gem marigold or a nasturtium in each one. I remember tasting a citrusy flavor.
You may already know you can eat fried squash and pumpkin blossoms. Did you know you can eat apple blossoms? Of course, you want to be sure the trees haven't been sprayed or are near trees that were sprayed. The little flowers of your green bean plants are edible as well. As you might expect, they have a "beany" taste. Many herbs have edible flowers, such as lavender and borage.
You can eat petals and buds from a number of flowers you might not think were edible. If you've tried rose hips for tea, you might also try the petals. Petals or buds from several flowers make a nice addition to salads, soups or even pancakes.
Bulbs of some flowers are edible, too. Indian hyacinths or Camasia produce small bulbs which the Indians of this country used to bake slowly. A variety of canna known as Canna edulus is a hard to find variety whose bulbs are edible.
Most of us tend to think vegetables are the food plants, and flowers are poisonous or only for exhibiting beauty. While you'll want to be on the lookout for possible allergic reactions to the flowers of some plants, don't be afraid to experiment.
Of course, flowers can indeed show off their beauty, and that beauty can visually enhance what's on the plate, salad bowl or dessert cup. You don't have to be a gourmet to enhance recipes with edible flowers. You'll no doubt pique the curiosity of family and guests when they see the colorful additions to the dishes you serve.
In case you're wondering, yes, there are books about edible flowers. One such book is a little paperback entitled The Edible Flower Garden, by well known gardening author Rosalind Creasy. She has written on various facets of edible gardening.
Break out of the traditional gardening mold and make use of edible flowers. Remember, when it comes to survival gardening, you really do have to think survival and explore all kinds of possibilities. A food source may be where you least expect it, and you don't want to overlook it.
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