A taste of sunshine

WINTER: FLOWERS DURING SEASON AUGMENT TASTE OF OTHER FOODS

- Alice Spenser-Higgs

A winter garden always needs flowers, but imagine if those flowers also found their way into your salads, sandwiches, desserts and drinks?

How cheerful would that be?

The flowers of pansies, violas, calendulas, carnations, English daisy (Bellis perennis) and nasturtiums, are all edible.

Many have a strong flavour, so use a light hand when adding them to a salad.

Once the worst of the summer heat is over, sow directly into the ground in flower beds, or among the veggies and herbs.

The best position is full sun and the soil should be enriched with compost.

Dos and don'ts for edible flowers

Don’t use pesticides but use products labeled for edible crops, making sure you observe the safety period.

Pick the flowers in the morning when their water content is at its highest. The flowers can be kept fresh in a glass of water.

Wash the flowers before eating and remove pollen as it can activate allergies.

Pansy and viola flowers can be eaten whole, but for most other flowers it is better to use the petals.