Edible Flowers

Pluck a few flowers and add flavor and color to your favorite salad, beverage, or jelly. Start by making sure the flowers you select are edible and pesticide free. Remove the pistils and stamens to avoid the bitter flavor of pollen.

Nasturtium leaves and flowers can be used in salads to add color and a little zip. Or stuff these and daylily blooms with cream cheese for a fun garden appetizer.

Eat daylily buds fresh from the garden or boil them like snap beans. Or batter and fry daylily and squash flowers for a floral tempura.

Calendula gets its common name, pot marigold, from the fact the flowers resemble a marigold and were used to season soups and stews that are typically cooked in pots.

Freeze a few pansy flowers in ice and add them to lemonade or sparkling water to add a gourmet touch to any meal.

A bit more information: Use a bit of sweet woodruff to create May wine. Use about cup of sweet woodruff for each bottle of white wine. Harvest and dry (for more intense flavor) the woodruff and place in a bottle of wine. Recork or reseal the wine and place in dark location for a week or two. Shake occasionally. Strain before serving with a strawberry garnish.