by Julia Frisbie
July 15, 2021
I’ve found that, in order to coax a four-year-old to eat lots of salad, it helps to make it look like a party. So in the summertime, I’m in the habit of making “salad confetti” by gathering edible blooms, pulling them apart, and sprinkling their petals all over the top of a finished salad. Sometimes I even delegate this task to the four-year-old!
Here are some of our favorite species for making salad confetti:
- Chive blossoms
- Calendula
- Dandelion (just make sure you harvest early enough that it’s not too fuzzy yet)
- Nasturtiums (too big for confetti, but perfect for pretend dragon faces)
- Basil flowers
- Dill flowers
- Lavender (but only the culinary type; the others taste like soap)
- Bachelor’s buttons
If you use your imagination, the party can continue even beyond salad…
- Sprinkle chive blossoms over the top of a quiche or frittata before baking for a classy look and delicious flavor
- Decorate roasted meat or veggies with calendula and dandelion petals after cooking
- Use a sprig of lavender to stir iced tea or lemonade and feel fancy
What are your favorite flowers to eat? How do you prepare them? We’ve yet to fry squash blossoms, but I’ve heard it’s wonderful!
Borage! tastes like cucumber. nasturtiums are delish. You could also chop them up for the confetti effect.