Flowers play an important role in an edible landscape and in any food producing permaculture.
The benefits of integrating flowering plants into a vegetable garden are numerous: they attract bees and other insects to pollinate and predate on common pests, fragrant flowers and flowering herbs help confuse and repel some harmful insect pests, and an exceptionally diverse range of flowers that can be harvested for pot-pourri, herb teas, aromatherapy, cut flowers and also for food.
Many
fruit trees and vegetables have beautiful flowers with aesthetic value
as well as other uses. Some of my favorite flowering fruits include
pomegranate, quince, and all the stone fruits, and there's nothing more
delightful than the fragrance of a citrus tree in flower. Salsify,
chicory, globe artichoke and Jerusalem artichoke rank amongst some of
the most attractive flowering vegetables.
Many
the plants commonly grown in gardens solely for their flowers are
medicinal and culinary herbs and some also produce edible fruit - like
fuchsia which produces an edible berry. Roses have always been a great
favorite in ornamental landscapes. The old traditional varieties are the
best for harvesting the hips (fruit) for herb tea and jellies, but any
fragrant rose can be harvested for pot pourri and if you want a real
treat, try making some rose petal jam.
The
elderberry bush has been used for centuries as a multi purpose plant in
Europe - it's medicinal qualities are listed in most herb books, the
fruit used for preserves and elder berry wine and the flowers are prized
for pot pourri, wine making and most of all for making elder flower
fritters (Note: recommend growing the true deciduous European Elder
Sambucus nigra, not the invasive evergreen variety, Sambucus
Canadensis). The flowers of pumpkin and squash are a delicacy in many
cultures - you can eat the male flowers and leave the females to produce
fruit.
There are a surprising number of regular ornamental flowers that can
add colour and zest as a garnish for salads or sweet dishes: violets,
pansies, petunia, carnations, calendula and gladiolus just to name a
few. I love to garnish a mulberry pie with borage flowers, spice a baked
custard with ginger flowers, toss nasturtium and calendula petals in a
fresh garden salad, or top off a parfait with a couple of violets or
heartsease.
There
is a resurgence of interest in edible flowers which is rapidly becoming
good business for back yard production and small scale horticulture
supplying produce to local restaurants and food markets. An edible
flower producer in southern California has tapped into a national
market, with a US$1 million harvest from just 30 acres. Flowers for food
must be free of pesticides so this is one new primary industry using
only biological control. Harvest, storage, packing, transport and
handling all require special care.
Care
should be taken with eating flowers and it is important to remember
that not all flowers are safe to eat. Never try eating the flowers of
poisonous plants. If you suffer from hayfever, you're advised to give
flowers a miss or try with caution as you could have an allergic
reaction to the pollen. There have been cases of toxic reaction to some
flowers listed as edible, possibly because local sub-species have
developed a toxic compound due to different soil or climatic conditions.
So be cautious, only try a small amount, one or two petals first time
round. Avoid flowers that taste too bitter or caustic. Also remember
that most edible flowers are primarily used as a garnish - don't go
making an entire salad from your flower garden. In moderation, flowers
can be used not only to brighten up the garden, but to add an exciting
touch to many a dish on the table.
© Robyn Francis
References:
* The Avant Gardener Vol.23, No.9.,
* Designing and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally - Robert Kourik
Resources (Avant Gardener):
*
"Specialty Flowers" Fact Sheet available free from USDA Office for
Small-Scale Agriculture, Aerospace Building, Suite 342, Washington, DC
20250, USA
* "Guide to Cooking with Edible Flowers" - Jay & Pamela North, Paradise
Farms, Box 436, Summerland, CA 93067, USA (US$6.95)
Source: http://permaculture.com.au
