Flowers from ornamental plants and even garden vegetables are much more than just pretty. They’re tasty, too.
Master Gardener Ed Buyarski said beebalm, nasturtium and begonia flowers are a great addition to any salad.
Calendulas, pansies, johnny jump ups and violets also produce edible flowers.
From the vegetable garden, flowers from bolting radishes, turnips and broccoli can actually taste quite sweet. Buyarski said he stuffs squash blossoms and dips them in a batter before frying.
“I would advise that folks be growing these with clean soil and probably organic fertilizers,” Buyarski said.
He cautions against eating flowers from plants that were purchased from a retailer. You’ll probably never know what kind of fertilizer or pesticides were used by the nursery.
Buyarski also notes that some flowers, like buttercups and anything from the buttercup family, are just plain poisonous. Other poisonous flowers you should avoid eating include peonies, delphiniums, monkshood or wolfsbane, columbine and foxglove.
Do you have a garden question for Ed? Fill out the form below, and he’ll answer your question in an upcoming segment.
Listen to past episodes and subscribe to the podcast on the “Gardentalk” page, so you’ll never have to worry about missing Thursday’s live radio broadcasts.
