The flowering part of a plant is more than just a pretty face. They may smell good, and look pretty, but they can also taste delicious!
Left to right: rose, oregano, fennel, mint, borage, and nasturtium
September is a great time of year to eat your flowers! Look for many recipes on the web, but all these, and many more, can be chopped and used as you would the leaves of a spice, or eaten whole as a beautiful addition to a salad - I love making salads pop with nasturtiums! You can also muddle in drinks or candy for cakes. Borage has a cucumbery taste that goes great in a gin & tonic. Fennel pollen is also a wonderful addition to Italian and Greek foods - lighter and more exciting than ground fennel seed, food writer Peggy Knickerbocker said, “If angels sprinkled a spice from their wings, this would be it.” (Saveur, May/June 2000)
