Incredible Edible Flowers

How lucky I am to live in this mild climate, where I can grow these cool season flowers year round, and always have something pretty, delicious and nutritious to eat from the garden.



All of these flowers (except the borage, that is now a volunteer in my garden) were starting by germinating the seeds on wet paper towels last August, leaving them indoors on my dining room table, where the temperature was perfect. I would spray them with water daily, so they would not dry out. But that was about it. Because I had so many going at once, I did put each in a labeled plastic bag, so I would know which was which. So a big thanks to Uncle Tom for sharing this method with me.

In the past, I was never able to succeed with germinating seeds, because it was always either too hot or too cold, or too wet or too dry, or the birds would get to them first.....for whatever reason I could not get the 100% germination rate that I am getting now. Every seed in a packet will germinate this way; in the past I was lucky to get one plant from a packet of seeds, so this has truly brought my gardening experience to a whole new level.












Stock, nasturtium, cornflower, borage, viola.......only a few edible flowers available to grow at Renees Garden. Don't forget my favorite, the Calendula.



After rinsing in water, just add the flower petals (the other parts may be bitter) to a bowl of mixed greens; toss in some dried cranberries, candied pecans and blue cheese. I like to use a raspberry venegarette dressing. Enjoy!

For more inspiration, read A veritable floral feast, by Tony Kienitz in the Los Angeles Times.

UPDATE: May 28

Pinks

Another great perennial edible flower to have in your garden. These were planted last year, and are just starting to bloom again this year. They will bloom till winter.