Beautiful and Delicious

I have talked in the past about eating instead of spraying my yard’s seemingly never-ending supply of dandelions, even my grandchildren know that our yard’s over abundance of dandelions is good for more than making fun dandelion chains. I made the mistake however of telling them that some of Nana’s pretty flowers are also edible. Now I have to make sure that they’re only smelling the roses! Though rose petals are perfectly edible and have been used in different ethnic cuisine for centuries. In fact, using flowers for culinary purposes dates back thousand of years. Personally, I think it is a wonderful way to add flavor, color and downright fun to certain dishes. There are more choices out there than you can probably imagine and can be used in salads, pastas, desserts and drinks. You do have to be cautionary though when choosing to use flowers in your cooking. Always make sure that you’re consuming flowers that you know are safe to eat and preferably ones you have grown yourself so you know they have not been treated with any pesticides or other chemicals. Remember also if you are interested in trying flowers in your cooking, be sure to consult one of the numerous reference books on edible flowers first.