Edible Flowers

Several years ago, I was chatting with a friend of mine, who is also the owner of a local nursery, and she suggested that I sample one of the petals from a daylily we were standing nearby.  She said they were edible, and tasted like sweet lettuce.  I trust her, so I took a bite.  She was right; the petal was crunchy, and reminiscent of iceberg lettuce.  I share this fun tidbit with friends and family that visit in the summer, and let them sample whatever blooms are available that day.

As I meandered through my garden tonight, I was reminded of the edible daylilies while admiring the foliage of the many daylily plants I own.  I was also daydreaming of how great they're going to look in just less than a couple of months.

This got me to thinking about other flowers that are edible, and how I could extend my garden to another useful dimension.  I know herb flowers are in the safe zone, as well as pansies, roses, and lavender, but wasn't sure about too many others.

I did some research online, and it's amazing what you can find on edible flowers.  Here's a pretty comprehensive list -- http://whatscookingamerica.net/EdibleFlowers/EdibleFlowersMain.htm

Last year, I went on a garden tour, and one of the ladies had made Lavender cookies to welcome us into her garden.  They were excellent!  This year, Better Homes & Gardens featured an article on baking with lavender.  I have had lavender growing in my yard for years, and added five new plants this year, but never thought to bake with it.  Important note: you bake with the dried petals; not the foliage.  BHG.com has some interesting recipes that I'm going to add to my list of summer to do's.  In a follow up post, I'll have to report back on the results.  http://www.bhg.com/recipes/searchResults.jsp?searchTerm=lavender&page=1&sortBy=rating