Are Flowers Edible?

About Edible Flowers

Are flowers edible, you ask? If so, what flowers are edible? Well, you are in for a treat, as many flowers are indeed safe to eat. And, they taste good, too. So as long as you are a flower gardener, you’ll never go hungry. But, before you chow down on the flowers in your garden, make sure you know what flowers are edible.

Many flower gardeners have no idea, that many of those beautiful flowers in their flower garden are also good candidates for lunch or dinner. The plant, flower, or seeds may be edible. They may offer taste and texture to salads, or recipes, or may be used in herbal teas.

Did You Know? There are also edible weeds, too. Dandelions and Purslane are two good examples.

Are you ready to find out what yummy flowers you can eat? Read on………….

A Flowery Culinary Caution

Before we get to the list of edible flowers, it is very important to note that not all flowers are edibles.

In some cases, all parts of the flower, including the roots, are edible.
For other flowers, you can eat only certain parts.
Then, other flowers are poisonous. They might be mildly poisonous. Or, they could be deadly.

So, it just might be a matter of life and death, to know what flowers (and what parts of the plant) are edible.

What Flowers are Edible?

Here’s our list of edible flowers. We hope you enjoy them!

Flower:	Edible Parts:	Uses and taste:
Amaranth	Seeds	In Asia and South America, the seeds are harvested as a grain crop. The seeds can also be popped like popcorn.
Calendula	Flower petals	Try them in soups, stews and salads.
Canary Climber	Flowers and young leaves	Has a peppery taste. Use in salads and soups.
Dame’s Rocket	Leaves, tender young stems, pods	Pot herb, fruit, salads
Day Lily	flowers and buds	raw in salads, Asian stir fries.
Flax	Seeds	Linseed oil, herbal medicinal teas
Flowering Kale	Leaves	Salads and any recipes where vegetable garden Kale is used.
Hyacinth Bean Vine	Beans	Must be boiled before eating, otherwise poisonous
Lilac	Flowers	Syrup, jelly, tea, cookies, pudding
Love-In-A-Mist	Seeds
Lupine		Some are poisonous, some are edible
Malabar Climbing Spinach	Leaves	Classified as a flowering vine, the spinach leaves are edible, and perfect for a summer salad.
Nasturtium	Leaves, Flower, Seed	Peppery taste
Poppies	Seeds and oils	Breads and cookies, a strong narcotic
Portulaca(Moss Rose)	Seeds	Raw or cooked in soups and sauces
Prunella	All plant parts	Try the leaves raw or cooked in salads, soups and stews. Also use to make a cold beverage
Rose Hips	Seeds, seed pod	Herbal tea
Scarlet Runner Beans	Seeds, young pods	Important: Beans must be cooked to be edible
Safflower	Tender shoots, seeds	Tender shoots in salads and raw dishes, Seeds, fresh or roasted
Sunflower	Seeds	Delicious, nutritious, roasted
Tansy	Leaves, oils	Leaves for flavoring, medicinal oil of tansy. Note: poisonous in large quantities
Tulips	Petals	With a slightly sweet taste, add to salads