Nasturtium Atop a Salad
You can add visual appeal, flavor, and exotic flair to any dish just by topping it with an edible flower or two. (Which you probably already have growing in your backyard.) Sprinkle rose petals onto a bowl of vanilla ice cream, and suddenly you have a romantic dessert guaranteed to knock the socks off of a Valentine date. Slip little violets into your ice-cube trays before freezing and then watch your dinner guests’ reactions when you serve them drinks adorned with frozen, floating flowers.
The blossoms from basil, chamomile, dill, lavender, mint, rosemary, sage, and thyme can all be scattered into salads, soups, and main dishes…or make fresh tea with them. You can even use the flowers from everyday clovers and dandelions. (Makes you redefine “weeds,” doesn’t it?) Just be sure that you choose flowers from organic sources — if you’ve sprayed your lawn with pesticides or fertilizers, don’t eat anything from it. Florists are also not the best source of edible flowers since they typically aren’t focused on organic growing methods. You’re better off either buying edible flowers from a produce market where they’re intended to be eaten or cultivating your own organic garden. For a comprehensive list of edible flowers and their characteristics, check out The Organic Cook’s Bible.
To create this salad, I tossed cucumbers, apricots, pinenuts, leftover cooked green beans, and a medium-sharp cow’s milk cheese with some balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil. It was a nice mixture in and of itself, but then I decided to make it really special by snipping a few nasturtium flowers off of the plant in my backyard and using them as edible garnish. They added just the right amount of pepperiness and zip!
So the next time you’re thinking about trimming back a lilac bush or ripping out some impatiens, consider putting a few blossoms on your plate (yes, lilac flowers and impatiens are both edible). Even if you don’t eat them, they’ll add a new level of interest to whatever you’re serving.
Enjoy!
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Tags: edible flowers, garden, garnishes, salad, summer
