What do roses taste like

Also great in salads as they have a citrus flavor. Nasturtiums Tropaeolum majus — Comes in varieties ranging from trailing to upright and in brilliant sunset colors with peppery flavors. Nasturtiums rank among most common edible flowers. Blossoms have a sweet,spicy flavor similar to watercress. Stuff whole flowers with savory mousse. Leaves add peppery tang to salads.

Pickled seed pods are less expensive substitute for capers. Use entire flowers to garnish platters, salads, cheese tortas, open-faced sandwiches, and savory appetizers. Pansy Viola X wittrockiana — Pansies have a slightly sweet green or grassy flavor.

If you eat only the petals, the flavor is extremely mild, but if you eat the whole flower, there is a winter, green overtone. Use them as garnishes, in fruit salads, green salad, desserts or in soups. It is the high-growing taller and not the low-growing creeping phlox that grows from 3 to 4 feet tall. Slightly spicy taste.

Great in fruit salads. The flowers vary from a Reddish purple to pink, some white. Pineapple Guave Feijoa sellowians — The flavor is sweet and tropical, somewhat like a freshly picked ripe papaya or exotic melon still warm from the sun.

Primrose Primula vulgaris — Also know as Cowslip. This flower is colorful with a sweet, but bland taste. Add to salads, pickle the flower buds, cook as a vegetable, or ferment into a wine.

It is the original carrot, from which modern cultivars were developed, and it is edible with a light carrot flavor. The flowers are small and white, and bloom in a lacy, flat-topped cluster. Great in salads. NOTE: The problem is, it is closely related to, and looks almost exactly like another wild plant, Wild or Poison Hemlock, which often grows profusely in similar habitats, and is said to be the most poisonous plant native to the United States.

Roses Rosa rugosa or R. Flavor reminiscent of strawberries and green apples. Sweet, with subtle undertones ranging from fruit to mint to spice. All roses are edible, with the flavor being more pronounced in the darker varieties. In miniature varieties can garnish ice cream and desserts, or larger petals can be sprinkled on desserts or salads. Freeze them in ice cubes and float them in punches also. Petals used in syrups, jellies, perfumed butters and sweet spreads. NOTE: Be sure to remove the bitter white portion of the petals.

Scented Geraniums Pelargonium species — The flower flavor generally corresponds to the variety. For example, a lemon-scented geranium would have lemon-scented flowers. They come in fragrances from citrus and spice to fruits and flowers, and usually in colors of pinks and pastels. Sprinkle them over desserts and in refreshing drinks or freeze in ice cubes.

NOTE: Citronelle variety may not be edible. Snap Dragon Antirrhinum majus — Delicate garden variety can be bland to bitter. Flavors depend on type, color, and soil conditions.

Probably not the best flower to eat. Sunflower Helianthus annus — The flower is best eaten in the bud stage when it tastes similar to artichokes. Once the flower opens, the petals may be used like chrysanthemums, the flavor is distinctly bittersweet.

The unopened flower buds can also be steamed like artichokes. The flower flavor is sweet and grassy with a hint of nutty, vanilla flavor. NOTE: Can have a blood thinning effect if eaten in large amounts. Tulip Petals Tulipa — Flavor varies from tulip to tulip, but generally the petals taste like sweet lettuce, fresh baby peas, or a cucumber-like texture and flavor. NOTE: Some people have had strong allergic reactions to them.

If touching them causes a rash, numbness etc. Violets Viola species — Sweet, perfumed flavor. Related flowers, Johnny jump-ups or violas, and pansies now come in colorful purples and yellows to apricot and pastel hues. I like to eat the tender leaves and flowers in salads. I also use the flowers to beautifully embellish desserts and iced drinks. Freeze them in punches to delight children and adults alike.

All of these flowers make pretty adornments for frosted cakes, sorbets, or any other desserts, and they may be crystallized as well. Heart-shaped leaves are edible, and tasty when cooked like spinach. Yucca Petals Yucca species — The white Yucca flower is crunchy with a mildly sweet taste a hint of artichoke. In the spring, they can be used in salads and as a garnish. Most fruit trees are usually sprayed just before and during the bloom.

If you are using you own flowers that have not sprayed, use only the petals, not the pistils or stamen. Apple Blossoms Malus species — Apple Blossoms have a delicate floral flavor and aroma. They are a nice accompaniment to fruit dishes and can easily be candied to use as a garnish. NOTE: Eat in moderation as the flowers may contain cyanide precursors.

The seeds of the apple fruit and their wild relations are poisonous. The flowers are a purple-maroon torpedo shaped growth appears out of the top of usually the largest of the trunks. Banana blossoms are used in Southeast Asian cuisines. The blossoms can be cooked or eaten raw. The tough covering is usually removed until you get to the almost white tender parts of the blossom. It should be sliced and let it sit in water until most of the sap are gone.

Most of the Southeast Asian varieties are not bitter. Citrus Blossoms orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, kumquat — Use highly scented waxy petals sparingly. Distilled orange flower water is characteristic of Middle Eastern pastries and beverages. Citrus flavor and lemony. Elderberry Blossoms Sambucus spp — The blossoms are a creamy color and have a sweet scent and sweet taste.

When harvesting elderberry flowers, do not wash them as that removes much of the fragrance and flavor. Instead check them carefully for insects.

The fruit is used to make wine. The flowers, leaves, berries, bark and roots have all been used in traditional folk medicine for centuries. NOTE: All other parts of this plant, except the berries, are mildly toxic! They contain a bitter alkaloid and glycoside that may change into cyanide.

The cooked ripe berries of the edible elders are harmless. Eating uncooked berries may cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Most herb flowers are just as tasty as the foliage and very attractive when used in your salads.

Add some petals to any dish you were already going to flavor with the herb. All members of this genus are edible. Their flavors range from mild onions and leeks right through to strong onion and garlic. All parts of theplants are edible. The flowers tend to have a stronger flavor than the leaves and the young developing seed-heads are even stronger. We eat the leaves and flowers mainly in salads.

The leaves can also be cooked as a flavoring with other vegetables in soups, etc. Chive Blossoms Allium schoenoprasum — Use whenever a light onion flavor and aroma is desired.

Separate the florets and enjoy the mild, onion flavor in a variety of dishes. Garlic Blossoms Allium sativum — The flowers can be white or pink, and the stems are flat instead of round. The flavor has a garlicky zing that brings out the flavor of your favorite food. Milder than the garlic bulb. Wonderful in salads.

Angelica Angelica archangelica — Depending on the variety, flower range from pale lavender-blue to deep rose. It has a flavor similar to licorice. Angelica is valued culinary from the seeds and stems, which are candied and used in liqueurs, to the young leaves and shoots, which can be added to a green salad.

Because of its celery-like flavor, Angelica has a natural affinity with fish. The leaves have a stronger, clean taste and make a interesting addition to salads. In its native northern Europe, even the mature leaves are used, particularly by the Laplanders, as a natural fish preservative.

Many people in the cold Northern regions such as Greenland, Siberia, and Finland consider Angelica a vegetable, and eat the stems raw, sometimes spread with butter. Young leaves can be made into a tea. Anise Hyssop Agastache foeniculum -Both flowers and leaves have a delicate anise or licorice flavor. Some people say the flavor reminds them of root beer. The blossoms make attractive plate garnishes and are often used in Chinese-style dishes. Excellent in salads.

Basil Ocimum basilicum — Depending on the type, the flowers are either bright white, pale pink, or a delicate lavender. The flavor of the flower is milder, but similar to the leaves of the same plant. Basil also has different varieties that have different milder flavors like lemon and mint. Sprinkle them over salad or pasta for a concentrated flavor and a spark of color thatgives any dish a fresh, festive look. Linguine with Tomatoes and Basil. Wild bee balm tastes like oregano and mint.

The taste of bee balm is reminiscent of citrus with soft mingling of lemon and orange. The red flowers have a minty flavor. Any place you use oregano, you can use bee balm blossoms. The leaves and flower petals can also be used in both fruit and regular salads.

The leaves taste like the main ingredient in Earl GrayTea and can be used as a substitute. Borage Borago officinalis — Has lovely cornflower blue star-shaped flowers. Blossoms and leaves have a cool, faint cucumber taste. Wonderful in punches, lemonade, gin and tonics, sorbets, chilled soups, cheese tortas, and dips. Burnet Sanquisorba minor — The taste usually is likened to that of cucumbers, and burnet can be used interchangeably with borage.

Chervil Anthriscus cerefolium — Chervil flowers are delicate white flowers with an anise flavor. That is why it should be added at the end of cooking or sprinkled on in its fresh, raw state in salads. Chicory Cichorium intybus — Earthy flavor, eat either the petals or the buds. Chicory has a pleasant, mild-bitter taste that has been compared to endive. The buds can be pickled. Use leaves and flowers raw as the flavor fades quickly when cooked. Once verified, your password will be mailed to the e-mail address you have entered here.

When used as an ingredient or simply a garnish, edible flowers can be a boon for innovative cooks. It may be trendy, but it's nothing new. For centuries, cultures around the world have brightened their recipes by adding flowers. In Roman times, for example, roses were used for cooking and flavoring food. Rose water was also put in fountains and baths to help people freshen up. Flowers delight our senses in so many ways — sight, smell, touch — it's not surprising that some flowers can be treats for our taste buds as well.

Edible flowers include citrus blossom, clover, daisies, dandelions, hibiscus, honeysuckle, lavender, lilac, mums, nasturtium, pansies, roses, sunflowers and violets, among others.

It is important to proceed with caution because several flowers, such as azaleas, buttercups, daffodils, delphinium and wisteria, just to name a few, are poisonous. One very important thing that you need to remember is that not every flower is edible. In fact, sampling some flowers can make you very, very sick. You also should NEVER use pesticides or other chemicals on any part of any plant that produces blossoms you plan to eat.

Never harvest flowers growing by the roadside. Bring some water to a boil, and then turn it off. Add fresh rose petals, sugar and a bit of citric acid. The citric acid balances the sweet from the sugar and creates fun for the tongue, while the scent of the roses adds complexity of flavor for the nose.

I make this as a syrup and then add a bit of sparkling water to make rose soda for my kids, and they love it. Beyond just a simple cordial or rose syrup, there are countless ways to incorporate the flavors into fancy cocktails. Cookies are another simple way to let the flavors of rose petals really shine through. Pistachio rosewater cookies take the flavors in an Indian or middle eastern direction, and they include both rose syrup and rose petals.

The same middle eastern flavors are present in these Cardamom and Rosewater tea cookies , and this gluten-free version of the same tea cookies. These pink rose meringues would work wonderfully too. The pillowy texture of cake and the rich icing are a great base for delicate floral flavors. This pistachio rose semolina cake takes things to a middle eastern direction again and combines roses with pistachios for a classic taste.

Similarly, this Persian love cake is a wonderful idea, adding in a bit of cardamom and orange flower water too. Tart rhubarb curd between layers of moist cake soaked in rose syrup…mmmm. I can only imagine how the more intense rose flavors infuse into a batch.

With two little ones in the house, sometimes projects get put on the back burner, but come on, look at it…. I have a jar of dried rose buds that I keep on my tea shelf and I add them into a lot of different cups. The tiny edible rose buds that you can buy from herbal supply houses are perfect for this, because they hold together and you can just add a whole one into your cup with a tea bag. Toss with rose petals.

Pour on Ginger Rose Vinaigrette and mix well. Garnish with red onion. I love carrot and zucchini slaw, which is why I have included this new twist in my edible roses recipes.

Mix all ingredients except rose petals together. For best flavor, refrigerate for at least several hours before serving. Serve on a bed of rose petals, atop a bed of dark green or red leaf lettuce.

Cream-colored roses look especially elegant. Do not eat roses from a florist. When you buy a rose shrub, remove all soil before planting it in your garden. Then, wait until next year to eat the petals. Read the 10 Commandments of Edible Flowers for more safety tips. All photos in this story are copyright by Cathy Wilkinson Barash and may not be used or reproduced without written consent. Cathy Wilkinson Barash is an award-winning freelance writer and photographer who has authored 16 books, including Roses and Edible Flowers from Garden to Palate.

Gardening as a renter who has lived in seven places in Des Moines , she is still adjusting to growing in Zone 5 alkaline soil. How to Reduce Noise in Your Home. A Handy List of Edible Flowers. Country Style Quiche Lorraine. Do you know of any roses that will grow in pots that are good for eating? And also where to get them? Jaki— We asked Cathy W. Barash which roses she would recommend for growing in containers.

Lincoln deep red , Julia Child buttery yellow and Queen Elizabeth pink. Thank you. I had a reliable source of Rosa rugosa petals but the bushes were pulled out by a landscaper and replaced with native shrubs. Virtually all roses are edible. Only eat the petals, though, NOT the leaves and stems. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.