Edible Flower Gifts
- Day lily petals can be dipped in tempura batter and fried.yellow day lilies image by Mike & Valerie Miller from Fotolia.com
Edible flowers can make for unusual but striking gift presentations. Potted edible flowers can be attractive and useful additions to recipients' window or herb gardens. Bouquets of edible flowers can double as delicate salad garnishes. Edible flowers can also be used to make homemade tea blends, jams and other delectable gourmet items. Before giving edible flowers as a gift, make sure that the species you plan to use is safe for human consumption. When concocting food or beverages, use only the edible parts of the flower, as some parts of it may be poisonous or unsafe. Flowers that have been treated with pesticides should not be used in your gifts. - Nasturtiums add spice to green salads.Salad of smoked salmon with nasturtiums image by Chef from Fotolia.com
A potted plant brightens any kitchen, but edible potted flowers can provide both beauty and culinary inspiration. A pot of salvia, society garlic, flowering maple or marigolds makes for an appealing (and pet-safe) botanical gift. You could also compose an edible flower salad mix of violets, nasturtiums, chrysanthemum daisies, carnations and pansies, and present it in an pretty ceramic bowl. A bouquet of day lilies and squash blossoms can be later used to add exotic notes to stir fries or curries. - Dandelions can be used to make jams, jellies and wines.dandelions image by lanka from Fotolia.com
Edible flowers can be used to make both savory and sweet delicacies. Try your hand at a citrus-spiked snapdragon or dandelion jam, or mix up a batch of rose or honeysuckle ice cream. For an unforgettable presentation, stud a birthday cake with apple blossoms or margarita daisies. Mix up a batch of lavender fudge, or candy some calendula or bachelor's button petals. For a fruity and refreshing treat, toss a few chopped pineapple guava blossoms into a mango or peach salsa.
Oils and vinegars can be infused with edible flowers as well. Use dill flowers, fennel flowers or dandelion flowers to add bite to white vinegars. Add complexity to olive oils by steeping them with basil flowers or chive flowers. Pickled burnet buds make for piquant garnishes. - Dried hibiscus petals can be used to make refreshing iced teas.hibiscus image by Christophe Fouquin from Fotolia.com
Edible flowers can contribute interesting flavors to beverages. Few things are as cooling as a rosemary flower lemonade. Vodka can be infused with scented geranium petals or orange flowers, and presented in antique glass bottles. You could also make simple syrups with vanilla and violas, and use these to make unusual sodas. Lemon balm and hibiscus flowers make excellent homemade tea mixes. Present these in hand-sewn muslin bags. - Use lavender to make bold, peppery sachets.lavender image by Alistair Dick from Fotolia.com
Many edible flowers possess delicious aromas. Use lavender to make an alluring sachet, or make a potpourri mix from bergamot, chamomile and lemon verbena. Add perfume to lotions, bath bombs, soaps and body spray with rose, jasmine or anise flower essential oils.
