Edible Flowers
Cooking and garnishing dishes with edible flowers is a blooming trend.
And I have to admit, it gives me so much pleasure to GROW edible flowers. They're beautiful, tasty, and bring new challenges to Soel Farm. Take a look at what we're growing and selling this season.
Chives
This pretty, light purple, edible flower has a light onion flavor. Chive blossoms can be tossed in a salad or, more commonly, used to garnish a dish. Chinese chives (or garlic chives) produce edible white flowers with a garlic flavor that is stronger than the leaf itself. At home, I use chive blossom to make a vinegar. The chive blossom butter was a big hit, too. Chive blossom was in high demand in the spring. We do not sell chinese chives blossom yet.
Viola
Few flowers are as beautiful or as cheerful in greenhouse than viola flowers, blooming mid-winter. They are highly sought for by upscale restaurants. There are some flowers still blooming outside. We expect greenhouse plants to start blooming in a month.
Nasturtium
In Latin nasturtium literally means "nose twist." While most edible flowers have a subtle flavor, nasturtiums knock your socks off with their peppery taste. Plus, it's not just the flowers and buds that are packed with a zippy flavor; the young leaves are tender and edible as well. Nasturtiums are popular with chefs and home gardeners because their colorful flowers not only dress up a plate, they're high in vitamins A, C (10 times as much as lettuce), and D.
We grow both climbing and bush types. They are in abundance now - both flowers and young leaves. We grow organically, no fertilizers are used for flowers. We deliver free to Central and South NJ., minimum order for delivery is $25. Flowers are 20 cents, leaves are 10 cents.
Borage
The smaller, younger leaves are used in fresh salads. Borage tastes like cucumber, so wherever cucumber flavor is needed, borage is likely to be able to act as a substitute. Beautiful blue flowers are used for salad decoration, in drinks, in ice cubes.
Bachelor
Buttons
Growing in greenhouse now, no flowers yet. We delivered plenty during the summer months.
Growing your own edible flowers?
Consider the following:
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Stay on the VERY safe side and only grow what centuries of cultivation have proven safe to consume.
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Pick only a few flowers to work with at one time. While Soel Farm grows many varieties of microgreens at once, the turn-around time for flowers is much longer and they take more space in greenhouse.
As always, feel free to email us with your questions!