We already mentioned in a previous post how edible flowers are on the rise in this age of social media. They are increasingly gaining popularity in household cuisines as well. In this post, we’ll give you some insights on what edible flowers can do to your plate and some best practises around handling and preserving them.

Handling edible flowers

Edible flowers add aesthetic value as well as fine fragrances to your plate. On top of that they can be healthy too. Always wash your flowers before eating them, to make sure they are safe to consume. If you want to look more into making a safe edible flower choice, you can read our other Nectar articles. Edible flowers are very delicate. Using kitchen tweezers can help minimal wilting and damage while handling. Separating the petals will help prevent wilting and reduce bitterness. However, it’s okay to eat entire pansies, violas, nasturtiums and others whole. Perform a taste test prior to using the flower to see if you like it. 

Preserving edible flowers

Flowers are highly perishable. This means that they are at their best when freshly plucked. Of course, the time span in which you can use the flowers also depends on what you want to do with these precious edibles and which types of flowers you decided to use. If you can’t eat or cook the flowers on the same day that they were picked, you can store them in between two paper towels. Keep them between dry paper towels in a refrigerator (for up to 3 days) or between damp towels at room temperature for 1-2 days. Alternatively, you can dry the flowers by leaving them out in open air for a day or two. A food dehydrator can also do the trick. If you’d like you can extend their shelf life by freezing them into ice cubes that make any cocktail extra special. 

Have you ever worked with flowers in the kitchen? What has your experience been like? Let us know!

Written by Elise Coudré and edited by Jashan Sippy. 

We work with edible flowers regularly for our partner events and experiences. We’ve also started growing our own!

Let’s grab a (virtual) spoonful of honey and discuss how we can work with you. Contact us.