Hassle-free harvests

Flowers are out in abundance this month and for Jack Wallington, many of these blooms make delicious, low-effort pickings

- Jack Wallington

July has always been a favourite month because everything is full and bountiful. We can walk through our gardens, picking crops and eating them without a care in the world.

In my main garden, flowers are in full bloom and, with my 'hassle-free food' hat on, it's worth discussing the edible flowers among them because they're more useful than they might seem. There was a time when I considered eating flowers a bit of a novelty. Now, though, I see flowers as an entirely new category of hassle-free harvests in the same way herbs sit alongside vegetables and fruit.

Flowers bring colour to our plates as well as unique textures and subtle flavours. Grow perennial or self-sowing flowers and they'll crop every year for no effort. It can feel a bit odd eating flowers at first, but push past that and I promise you'll never look back. Best of all, because edible flowers don't last long in shops, they're a treat for the home grower.

Harvest

Monarda is a particularly hassle-free flower to grow. A member of the mint family (though not as vigorous a spreader), its leaves, flowers and young shoots are edible - the leaves make a good tea. The petals taste like a mild cross between mint and Earl Grey tea, and I use them to decorate salads and cakes.