33. Edible Flowers - savoury

There are a surprising number of edible flowers in the garden; surprising because I didn’t realise so many were edible. Again, it is James Wong’s ‘Grow for Flavour’ that made me more interested in them.

I did know about using nasturtium flowers and leaves in salads - they add a peppery taste that is similar to that of rocket. It was first grown by the Incas in Peru and Ecuador, and is a distant relative of watercress. The best way to release the pepper taste is to thinly slice them before adding to your salads.

In Italy large yellow courgette and squash flowers are a delicacy, where they stuff them with cheese before deep frying them. What I hadn’t realised is that you should only pick the male flower, leaving the female flower to produce the fruit. Remember to leave just enough male flowers on the plant for fertilisation. This Ottolenghi recipe is how I would cook them.

Flowers of the allium (onion) family can be eaten as buds or just as they are unfurling. They have a strong onion flavour, similar to that of the bulbs and stems. Most allium varieties can be used: chives, garlic, shallots and leeks.

Lavender can be used in the same way as rosemary and thyme, but in moderate amounts to avoid being too overpowering. JW recommends sprinkling a torn up flower head and black pepper into the oil used to fry your steaks. That sounds worth a try!

There are some other surprising flowers that are edible: daylilies, yucca, broom and begonias, but I will start with the basics first and leave these for another season.