EDIBLE FLOWERS
Many of us are upping our food presentation game, and at this time of year, we’re blessed with an easy and instant beauty fix for salads, soups and more. Edible flowers can provide colour, texture and a great deal of flavour to an otherwise ordinary dish.
A huge array of flowers can be found online from specialist growers, while some more common varieties are appearing on supermarket shelves. They can be expensive as they’re delicate, difficult to transport and have a short shelf life. For this reason, I’d recommend growing some of your own.
Most are easygoing, happy indoors or out, and require minimal space. They’re also a haven for bees and garden-friendly insects.
Nasturtiums are the queen of the edible flowers. The leaves and seed pods are also edible and they grow so easily and quickly, you might struggle to keep up with them. They’re happy in pots, hanging baskets, beds or even in little paving or wall crevices. The flowers are usually flame-coloured in variations of red, yellow and orange and pack a peppery punch, making them excellent for salads. Once they start to go to seed, collect the pods and store them in a simple pickling liquid to create something akin to capers.
Violas are also a real stalwart of the kitchen garden. They pretty much survive anything and, again, will happily grow almost anywhere. When everything else is dormant, you can rely on violas to see you through into early winter. I like to freeze them into ice cubes to use in drinks. With its white- or blue-tinted petals, borage is the other great ‘grow-yourown’ option, with a delicate cucumber flavour perfect for summer dishes. Try using the flowers to garnish a strawberry and cream dessert, gazpacho or a glass of Pimm’s and lemonade.
Most herbs around this time of year also produce edible blooms. I love using tiny purple sage flowers to top a risotto or pasta dish. They have a heady, sweet sage-y flavour that is surprisingly powerful. Chive blossoms can be just as strong, but are wonderful in potato salad or on top of soup. Use them in anything to which you’d like to add that sharp allium flavour.
Finally, common on restaurant menus, but less used in home kitchens, are courgette and squash blossoms. As a child, I recall waking up at daybreak in the summer to pick courgette flowers from the vegetable patch before they closed up. My mum wanted them in their open state to make an impressive tempura starter for a dinner party. Whenthey’re closed, I love them stuffed with ricotta, herbs and parmesan, deep fried and drizzled with honey. Follow Giovanna on Instagram @giovannaryan