Want Some Flowers With That?

Photo courtesy of iLoveButter at Flickr.com.

In a previous blog entry we mentioned the gastronomic qualities of calendulas, pansies and nasturtiums, but there are plenty of other ornamental flowers that you can consume safely. The blooms of crookneck squash, sugar snap peas, dill, chives, pole beans, sage, and fava beans are all safely edible. You can always eat them raw, straight off the plant, but many flower-lovers prefer them fried; this is especially true for squash.

Realize, too, that if you eat squash blossoms, you should limit yourself to the male flowers (the ones that lack a baby squash at the bottom) and you should leave enough males to fertilize the female flowers. Otherwise, no squash for you.