Edible flowers might not always taste the best or as good as they look but they can act as a great addition to a lot of different types of dishes, especially desserts like cupcakes, pies and normal cakes. Although people might believe that they need to spend a lot of time or money to obtain edible flowers as they are so ‘exotic’ but there are still some types of edible flowers that one can find near them in their garden which can add a lot of beauty and taste to normal looking food items.
But one should also know that not all types of edible flowers can be grown or found in a simple garden as some of them might require special conditions and care to be maintained properly so that they can grow and flourish to produce beautiful colours and scents. If one is wondering where to buy edible flowers that cannot be simply found in one’s garden, they can visit Frolicandfare.com for the best range and good offers. Some other common edible flowers that can be found in one’s garden are:
1. Chamomile
These beautiful blossoms also go by the name ‘English Daisy’. They are mostly used to make chamomile tea which provides a lot of health benefits including the ability to help one calm down and reduce one’s anxiety thus leading to a better sleep quality, it may also help reduce menstrual cramps and symptoms arising out of diabetes. These flowers can be found in various types of soil and come in different types that grow in different seasonal conditions and hence may be found in one’s garden. They have small and several white petals with a bright yellow center.
2. Calendula
Calendula is commonly referred to as ‘pot marigold’. This is a brightly coloured golden orange flower that has a bitter zesty flavour to it. This makes them useful while making salads to enhance the look as well as the flavour. They can be easily grown in one’s garden by using seeds. It is advised to grow them during the colder months as these flowers do not hold up well in the summers.
3. Thyme
Thyme is an edible plant with a very distinctive flavour profile that is widely used in cooking a variety of dishes. These plants are very easy to grow and maintain. It is a perennial plant that can grow in any soil type. What’s best is the fact that thyme is drought resistant, that means even during the times when the soil on which thyme is growing is extremely dry and brittle, the plant will not just die off. One more good feature of thyme in a garden is that it is less difficult to take care of and can even spread over a good area of land once it is planted by using seeds.
4. Rose
Roses are one of those flowers that can be found widely in different regions of the world. They come in a variety of colours and shapes. They can be said to be very versatile as they are not only good for decor and good to look at but they also have a rich flavour that is often incorporated in a variety of dishes to give them a different kind of grandeur. It is also important to know that the different kinds of roses also have different types of taste profiles. Some of them are sweet with a hint of bitterness whereas others have a very strong and intense flavour. Usually the darker coloured roses have a more rich flavour as compared to the lighter coloured ones.
Roses can be incorporated into food in a lot of different ways. They can often be found to be used as a flavouring agent in Indian sweets and may also be used to make rose-flavoured sherbats. Besides this, dried rose leaves can be added as a topping onto ice creams and kulfis. Fresh rose leaves of different colours may be used to decorate food and create a lot of different designs to appease the eyes as well as the taste buds.
5. Marigold
Marigold is a beautiful flower that comes in a variety of colours ranging from yellow to orange to maroon. Such a flower is not only beautiful but has quite a bit of flavour. But it should also be noted that it has a bitter undertone so it should not be consumed wholly. Before using it in any recipe, one needs to ensure that they take out the round white part from the flower as it is very bitter and inedible.
Marigold can be used in different dishes like salads, cakes, cookies and teas. It may also be used as decoration in a variety of dishes to improve their overall presentation.
6. Pansies
Pansies are small and beautiful looking flowers that taste somewhat like lettuce and hence are a great flower to be added to salads. They come in a range of colours that can make a salad bowl look really beautiful. Moreover, these flowers may be consumed as a whole so there is a lesser need to separate them as long as one can ensure that they are properly sourced and cleaned. These flowers too may be found in one’s garden.
Conclusion
There are a lot of things that can be done to make a dish taste unique and look exciting and exotic. One way to do this is to add beautiful, edible flowers to them. As a beginner one might not want to spend a lot of money on edible flowers to try them, hence it is an easier, simpler and cheaper option to source them from their garden itself. The flowers mentioned above are just that, these flowers can be found in one’s garden and if they are not already growing in one’s garden, they can be easily grown by using gardening methods.