Pauline Lloyd

Petal Power: How to Grow Your Own Edible Flower Salad

Traditionally, flowers have had many culinary and medicinal uses. However, one of the simplest (and in my opinion the nicest way) of using edible flowers is just to eat them raw in a salad. By adding a few edible flowers it is possible to turn a simple green salad into something quite marvellous and exotic. Edible flowers add colour, visual appeal, flavour and sometimes fragrance to a salad and are often very nutritious, providing antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and other health-giving substances such as carotenoids and bioflavonoids. Do use edible flowers sparingly though, as too many flowers can be overpowering and always be careful when introducing a new flower, eating only a small amount the first time in case of a reaction. Note: If you suffer from allergies such as asthma or hay fever, then it is a good idea to completely avoid eating flowers at all. Try to consume flowers that you have grown yourself especially for this purpose rather than gathering flowers from wild plants. Avoid eating any flowers that may be contaminated with pesticides, animal excrement, or pollutants from passing cars. Be aware that not all flowers are edible. Some flowers are poisonous, others simply dont taste that nice. Always be sure of correct identification before eating any flower and if in any doubt then leave it out. If you are short of growing space, many edible flowers grow well in containers. These include: pansies, heartsease, violets, nasturtiums, cowslip, oxlip, primroses, geranium, pot marigold, chives, lavender and sage and others such as climbing nasturtiums can be planted in a container and grown up a trellis. So why not brighten up your balcony or windowsill with some edible flowers this year? Leafy Salad Plants To make up your flower salad you will of course also need a supply of fresh green salad leaves. Try growing a selection of the following green leafy plants, either in containers or in the ground. These can all be harvested when needed on a cut and come again basis:

SOME OF THE MOST WIDELY USED EDIBLE FLOWERS.

Supplier Key: T&M = Thompson & Morgan, TO = Tamar Organics, SH = Suffolk Herbs, OGC = Organic Gardening Catalogue

NAME Anchusa Borage Bergamot Chicory Chives Cowslip Daisy Dandelion Elder Geranium Heartsease Hollyhock Lavender Nasturtium
10 GGI No 18 Winter 2006

LATIN NAME Anchusa azurea Borago officinalis Monarda didyma Cichorium intybus Allium schoeonoprasum Primula veris Bellis perennis Taraxacum officinale Sambucus nigra Pelargonium spp. Viola tricolor Althaea rosea Lavandula angustifolia Tropaeolum majus Primula eliator Viola wittrockiana Calendula officinalis Primula vulgaris Rosa spp. Salvia officinalis Salvia sclarea Salvia horminum Viola odorata

SUPPLIER(S) SH/OGC TO/SH/OGC SH SH/OGC SH/OGC SH/OGC SH

FURTHER INFORMATION Gentian-blue flowers that look especially attractive when mixed with rose petals. Cool, cucumber taste. Scatter these brilliant blue flowers onto the salad, removing the hairy sepals behind the petals just before eating. Use the pink/scarlet petals Use whole flowers or petals. Slightly bitter taste. Mild onion flavour. Separate the florets before serving and scatter them onto salad, as the taste of the whole flower can be overwhelming. Use yellow flowers whole, but remove the stalks. Sprinkle the petals on the salad. Add a few *unwashed creamy blossoms, just before eating the salad. Both flowers and leaves can be used, but use the leaves sparingly. A small dainty form of pansy. Use the flowers. Many different colours. Use petals. Strong flavoured, use flowers sparingly. Add flowers, peppery leaves, or the pickled seeds to salads. Similar flavour to watercress. Remove stalks and use whole flowers as a garnish. Use petals or whole flower. Wide range of colours. Orange/ yellow flower petals that add colour and nutrition. See Cowslip. Petals have a delicate taste, but add colour and fragrance. Remove the bitter white base of the petal. The flower bracts of these plants add colour to a salad.

SH/ T&M SH/OGC SH/OGC SH/OGC SH/OGC SH SH/OGC TO/SH/OGC SH/OGC

Oxlip Pansy Pot Marigold Primrose Rose Sage Clary Sage Painted Sage Violet

TO/SH/OGC

SH/OGC

Small dainty violet flowers that look very pretty in salads.

* Washing the flowers removes the fragrance. However, do check the flowers carefully for insects before use!

 Rocket (T&M/TO/SH/OGC Landcress (T&M/TO/SH/OGC) Corn Salad (T&M/TO/SH/OGC) Watercress (T&M/TO/SH/OGC) Niche Leaves Salad Blend (T&M) Salad Bowl (T&M/TO/SH/OGC) Claytonia (T&M/TO/SH/OGC) Indian Mustard (T&M/OGC)

Creasy (Periplus Editions, 2000). Edible Flowers, a leaflet by Thompson & Morgan. * Edible Flowers by Kitty Morse (Ten Speed Press).* Flowers in the Kitchen by Susan Belsinger (Interweave Press Inc).* Edible Flowers by Kathy Brown
Drawing by Beth Harthan

VEGAN-ORGANIC INFORMATION SHEETS

Our information sheets provide wide advice on vegan-organic methods for home growers; three new topics have recently been added:
#1 Propagation and Fertilisers; #2 Growing Beans for Drying; #3 Growing on Clay Soils; #4 Growing - The Basics; #5 Fungi - FAQ: #6 Gardening for Wildlife; #7 Growers' Guide to Beetles; #8 Green Manures; NEW #9 Chipped Branch-Wood; NEW #10 Composting. NEW

Baby Leaf (T&M/TO) Parsley (T&M/TO/OGC) Saladisi (T&M) Chives (T&M) Mixed Leaves (TO) Mustard Spinach (TO/OGC) Mizuna (TO/OGC) Oriental Saladini (TO) Burnet Salad (TO) Perpetual Spinach (SH/OGC) Catalogna (SH/OGC) Dandelion (SH/OGC) Ornamental Cabbage (SH) Winter Cress (OGC) Saladini (OGC) Oakleaf (OGC) To Make Up the Flower Salad Pick a mixture of different green leaves - both green leaves and flowers are best harvested just before eating to ensure peak freshness. Wash the leaves well, place them in a dish and pour on a suitable dressing. Garnish with an attractive mixture of edible flowers of your choice. Enjoy! Listed in the table are some of the most popular edible flowers. However, many other flowers are also edible. For more information, please read one of the following books, or visit some of the web sites listed in my online article (to be published by the end of May) at: http://www.btinternet.com/~bury_rd/ ediblefl.htm Suggested Further Reading: The Salad Garden by Joy Larkom (Windward, 1987), p125-129. The Edible Flower Garden by Rosalind

(Aquamarine).* Edible and Medicinal Flowers by Margaret Roberts (David Philips). * * Books/leaflets are available from T & M. Suppliers: The Organic Gardening Catalogue, Riverdene, Molesey Road, Hersham, Surrey, KT12 4RG. Tel: 0845 130 1304. Email: enquiries@chase-organics.co.uk Thompson and Morgan (UK) Ltd, Poplar Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP8 3BU. Tel: 01473 695225. Suffolk Herbs, Monks Farm, Coggeshall Road, Kelvedon, Essex CO5 9PG. Tel: 01376 572456. E mail: sales@suffolkherbs.com Tamar Organics, The Organic Garden Centre, Gulsworthy, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 8JE. Tel: 01822 834887. E mail: sales@tamarorganics.co.uk

All the information sheets are available on request. Please send 5 per set, or 60p each (6 and 75p respectively if outside the UK); sterling please if outside the UK to VON 80 Annable Road Lower Bredbury Stockport SK6 2DF

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