Edible garden flowersare excellent plants that decorate garden beds and at the same time have culinary qualities. Thanks to them, you will make optimal use of the garden surface and provide yourself with a huge visual and taste experience. Seewhat edible flowers you should have in your garden , learn about their nutritional properties and the best recipes forusing edible flowersin the kitchen. Here are plants you didn't even think could be eaten!
Edible ice cubes borage flowers are a great decoration for drinks
In home gardens you can find an inexhaustible multitude of species and varieties of garden flowers, which with their presence beautify the discounts almost all year round. However, many of them can also play another, more down-to-earth role - asedible garden flowers they can be useful in the kitchenwhen preparing meals for the whole family. The valuable flavors and aromas contained in them will certainly improve the taste of many dishes, and the abundance of vitamins and microelements will positively affect the he alth of the household.
Over the last decade, many utility plants have advanced to the rank of ornamental plants, decorating not only our plates but also garden beds. When composing plantings, it is worth considering species withedible shoots, flowers or fruits , because you will always be able to reach for them if necessary, especially if you want to add a bit of exotic spice to the dishes you are preparing.
You don't have to look far to findedible garden flowers , which, once introduced into the kitchen, will stay there for a long time.
Many gardeners are well aware of the nematicidal properties of marigolds. However, only a small group of people know that these areedible garden flowers that can be used to season dishesThe raw material in this case are fresh or dried leaves of Tagetes erecta, (Tagetes tenuifolia) and Tagetes patula, with a characteristic bitter aftertaste with a hint of lemon or orange. They can be used to diversify the taste of soups, sauces, fatty roasted meats and cottage cheese. However, moderation should be exercised as the strong bitter aftertaste of the leaves, if applied too much, can easily dominate the flavor of the dish.
Marigold flowers (Calendula officinalis), usually grown as an ornamental and herbal plant, are also suitable for seasoning. Dried, ground to fine orangepetals of these edible garden flowersare an aromatic spice and replace food colors when added a little to prepared soups, thick sauces and cottage cheese.As in the case of marigolds, you should be moderate, because excessive use of dried herbs will significantly deteriorate the taste of the food.
Edible flower petals of the gingerbread will add color to summer salads
During summer and autumn, another plant considered only as a species with decorative flowers and leaves is used in the kitchen - the greater nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus). Freshly picked shoots with young leaves can be an interesting, slightly spicy variety in vegetable salads and an interesting addition to cottage cheese spreads.Edible nasturtium flowersare perfect for decorating all kinds of dishes, adding to the menu a delicately burning bitterness and a characteristic, interesting aroma. In the kitchen you can also use nasturtium flower buds and its unripe fruits, which, after marinating in vinegar or s alt, can be a substitute for capers when preparing exquisite soups, sauces and summer vegetable salads.
Edible daylily buds are a tasty addition to summer salads
Also angelica angelica (Angelica archangelica) with a majestic habit and stately white-green canopy, eye-catching from a distance, can be very useful in the kitchen. Its roots and candied stalks are an interesting variety to desserts or an aromatic component of alcohol tinctures. However, in the case of this plant, it should be taken in moderation, as consumed in excess can cause unpleasant side effects related to the disruption of the functioning of the nervous system.
Bothas an ornamental plant andvegetable, the artichoke (Cynara scolymus) can be grown. The cultivation of artichokes for food is most popular in France, Italy, Spain and the USA. The edible part of this plant are inflorescences - baskets with a fleshy bottom and fleshy covers, collected at the end of summer.If we do not collect them, they will be covered with shades from pink through purple to blue. Then they will become an attractive autumn decoration discount.
Finally, it is worth mentioningflowers preserved in sugar, , blooming in spring, fragrant violet (Viola odorata). They are perfect in the kitchen when decorating baked goods, ice cream and fruit salads.
Emil Gwizdała