Edible plants?

[Antau LJn]

One of the types of gardens I am interested in is an "edible flower" garden. I am interested in edible plants that one does not normally think of as edible. Examples would be rose petals and violets. If you have a photo to add, that would be great.

Even though the garden is edible flowers, I would like to know of any plants you know of that are edible (and what the edible parts are).

 

[zigs]

Nasturtiums have edible flowers, leaves & seeds. Proper peppery though, the name comes from latin for Nose twisting

 

[Caseymich]

It may not be a plant that you want, but it does flower!...Dandelion! They are full of vitamin A and have as much calcium as half of a glass of milk. They contain other nutrients as well. It's real name can be translated into "the offiicial remedy for disorders". You can boil them and eat them hot like turnip greens, which can taste a little bitter. I have been roasting the roots and grinding them up to make a delicious tea.

 

[zigs]

I use the roots for that too

Flowers make an excellent wine too.

 

[blueiris]

I've heard you can eat cattails. I think only the tops. I haven't tried them.

I have a friend who grows and eats prickly pear cactus! She makes a jam that's pretty tasty.

 

[Caseymich]

My cactus it just starting to bud. This sounds like fun. I thought about digging it up, but if I can get some tasty jam out of it I might keep it.

 

[Antau LJn]

Thank you for your replies. Zigs, that name made me laugh. Nose twisting.

I actually like dandelions (I'm probably one of the few).

Let's see:
Rose petals
Violets
Nasturtiums (I like peppery, if it is diluted by being mixed in with more mild-tasting plants)
Dandelions
Cattails
Cactus.

I know that the cactus pads of some types are edible, as well as the fruit. Around here, they are called Nopales (Spanish - no pall lays, with a hard s). Are the cactus flowers edible, also?

 

[zigs]

I use whole Daisey flowers, salt them down & use them as Caper substitutes on Pizzas etc.

 

[happyflowerlady]

Violets are edible also. You can use the heart shaped leaves as greens, and even add the pretty little flowers into salads. They pretty much grow wild in many places, and mine are blooming all over the yard right now.
Another close relative of the dandelion is the chicory plant. It has similar looking leaves, and pretty little blue blossoms, and can be used pretty much in the same way as you are using the dandelions, except for maybe the dandelion wine part. I have never heard of anyone making chicory wine, at least, but the root is used with coffee , and the greens can be eaten.

 

[claudine]

Lilac's flowers are edible. I haven't tried them yet but I heard that they taste a little like lemon. Also, the scent of it is amazing and I love its color. Jut look at these pictures, it all looks so delicious:

 

[limcid]

And just think, some animals have been hip to this for quite a while! Those lilacs look (I feel strange saying this) delicious. I really need to put it on my todo list to look into this some more and also get a chance to taste some of these things.

It's a shame we aren't taught these things. Imagine being lost or stranded, going hungry with food all around you.

 

[Philphine]

i've planted, or am getting ready to plant a few things i've heard are edible, but it's not my main reason for planting them so i don't know if i'll decide to try.

just planted some lavender. i was just looking for more things to plant on my little hill of flowers, but i've heard they're edible.

mint. just brought a 4 seed variety pack to try and grow in a particular spot. i may end up with of a little of it in something.

lemongrass. i just want it for part of my outdoor living area border and to see if it helps with keeping away mosquitos.

water hyacinths. the local pond store i go to most will start letting people buy these this week. i found out they're edible kinda by chance when i was looking at youtube pond vids. i've gotten them the last couple years but i haven't had the urge to gnaw on them.

 

[AndroidGirl89]

Those Lilac flowers look beautiful and like they would smell amazing- never though they were edible though! Pretty food is always awesome because I think it makes you happy when you are eating it

 

[claudine]

I like when my food looks pretty, I love celebrating meals so I really must look for some edible flowers in my area - it's such a beautiful idea to eat them.
These are the most gorgeous cupcakes I've ever seen:

 

[maddie]

Dahlias are edible too. I never knew about that until I researched for an article I wrote a year ago. The only flower I have eaten fresh so far is the rose. People in the middle East put jasmines in the water they drink.. I think that would be too strong and cloying a smell for me. The banana plant is fully edible. People eat the flower, the fruits, the raw bananas, and the stem of the plant. The stem is peeled until the inner core can be peeled no more. This is full of dietary fiber and contains great quantities of iron.