Flower power project connects food and nature

When Rhiannon Dawn Elizabeth places a freshly picked flower in her mouth, she almost expects an odd glance.

But the 24-year-old entrepreneur can tell you the flavour profile of a borage (starflower) and suggest how to plate a salvia elegans (pineapple sage) through her recently launched venture Feed Me Flowers.

Elizabeth, who shies from the term ‘‘business’’ and insists it’s a project, doesn’t think it strange to consume flowers as she was exposed to the idea at a young age.

‘‘Mum put flowers into my salads for me when I was growing up,’’ she said. ‘‘And I loved it.’’

Elizabeth grew up in O¯ a¯ kura on a farm before stepping into the hospitality sector in Melbourne at age 19.

When she returned to Taranaki at the end of 2015, Elizabeth realised there was an ‘‘unexplored and underdeveloped world in flowers in food’’, she said.

‘‘And when I found there’s a whole heap of them that are edible, I just started eating them myself.’’

Since its launch early this year, Feed Me Flowers offers a menu of 17 varying types of handpicked flowers to at least four cafes.

But Elizabeth hopes to expand to restaurants.

‘‘They just bring a delicate natural flair to a dish,’’ she said.

‘‘Anything from a colour pop to making a jus out of them.’’

Elizabeth is an expert in making flowers work with food. A few petals of a bright yellow calendula (pot marigold) can bring a peppery punch to a garden salad while purple borage has a mild cucumber taste.

‘‘Nasturtiums are very peppery but if you suck on this little stem, there’s a juice that’s actually quite sweet, like honeysuckle,’’ she said.

‘‘Daylilies are real buttery. They’re gorgeous baked on top of sweets.’’

And then there’s the common white oxalis - her favourite.

‘‘They grow like weeds but they taste sweet and sour. They’re like nature’s little lollies.’’

Elizabeth picks and prunes four different gardens - one at her home, one at her mum’s, and two at her friends’ - with the combined natural environments offering a growing menu.

‘‘I do make sure there are flowers for the bees and the bugs,’’ she said, with a laugh.

And it’s a venture Elizabeth hopes will educate others as much as herself on the world of natural treats.

‘‘My life is all about flowers I’m always going to be learning about them.’’

GRANT MATTHEW/STUFF Rhiannon Elizabeth grew up eating flowers in salads and hopes more people will find an interest in the colourful treat found in nature.