Eat Your Flowers!

July 1, 2019

Foraging can seem so dowdy, eh? Green, green, green. But it doesn't have to be that way. Many flowers are edible and colorful additions to dishes.

Remember our post about violets? Here are some more suggestions.

Day Lily flowers with buds at top right

Day Lilies

These flowers are everywhere now, in late June and early July. You can stir-fry or steam the still-green buds for an okra-like experience, but some people (including me) experience gastric distress. So this time, I'm pickling the buds and trying just the petals, raw.

Day Lily buds, clover flowers, and other ingredients for pickling

They're a fairly meaty ingredient with a slightly flowery taste; then, after you've swallowed, they deliver a peppery, musky kick.

Below is one of my favorite dishes, Five Spice Chicken Salad (recipe at end of post) on a base of foraged greens (including Lamb's Quarters, Purslane, Violet leaves, and Wood Sorrel), plus a Day Lily petal garnish.

Dandelions

Next up: Dandelions. Dandelions are the first foraging encounter for many people. Had that been true for me, I would've given up on wild edibles right there. I find the greens, no matter how young, intolerably bitter. And just assumed that the flowers would be the same.

Not so! Today, finally, I sampled raw dandelion blossoms, and am pleased to report them to be pleasantly mild and sweet. Now I know why people make dandelion wine, etc. And now I have a new challenge: to find dandelion uses that are right for me. Perhaps cookies? Who doesn't like cookies?! https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/dandelion-flower-cookies

Wood Sorrel, with leaves like shamrocks and yellow flowers

Wood Sorrel

And finally, Wood Sorrel, one of my oldest weed friends. This is a shy but common shade plant with delicate stems. It tends to grow close to the ground, except when it's fighting against other plants for some sunlight--then it can grow a foot tall or higher. When I was a kid, we would spend countless summer hours lying about the yard, grazing upon this plant, which we called "Sour Grass." Besides its soft, shamrock-shaped leaves, and tiny five-petaled yellow flowers, Wood Sorrel can be identified by its distinctive sour, lemony taste. It makes a great salad green, high in Vitamin C, though I can imagine it making an excellent base for smoothies or mixed drinks. Don't consume too much at one time, though; it gets its tartness from oxalic acid, which can be toxic in high amounts.

Okay---now that recipe I promised, which is GREAT on a bed of foraged greens (Lamb's Quarters and Wood Sorrel along with young Violet leaves):

Five Spice Chicken Salad

• 1 package baby spinach

• 1/2 package cellophane noodles/bean threads, cooked as directed and rinsed with cold water

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, microwaved, cooled, and cubed (bite size)

• 1 cucumber, peeled and cubed

Dressing (all of these ingredients can be adjusted upwards for taste):

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

• 2 TB salad oil

• 2 TB lemon juice

• 2 TB sesame oil

• 2 TB rice wine vinegar

• 1 TB soy sauce

• 1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder

Mix dressing ingredients. Add chicken and cucumber and stir to coat well. (This mixture can be left in the refrigerator overnight.) Put a bed of greens on a plate; top with cooked noodles; and then top with chicken/cucumber/dressing mixture. Makes 4 small or 2 large servings.

ENJOY!!