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After a family member's recent stay in the hospital, you find
yourself with a whole houseful of flowers. You've heard of using
flowers to decorate dishes or for use in recipes. However,
before you go plucking the petals off the flowers in those
arrangements, there are a few things that you need to know.
Flowers that are said to be edible are only edible if they are
either grown organically or treated with organic pesticides like
those used on fruits or vegetables. Flowers that are from
florists, nurseries or garden centers are grown for decoration
only. They're usually chemically treated either by fertilizers
or pesticides. They aren't safe to be eaten unless you know for
certain that they've been maintained organically. Do not eat
flowers growing on the side of the road! The chemicals used to
maintain roadside conditions are deadly and the emissions from
cars contaminate the flowers growing there. Your safest method
is to grow the flowers yourself, so that you know with a
complete certainty what's gone into growing the flowers.
Although a flower may be edible, it may not be palatable to some
people's tastes. What might taste good to you may not taste even
slightly appealing to someone close to you. Also keep individual
allergies in mind before testing out a recipe. A little
consideration goes a long, long way and could save you a trip to
the hospital.
Before cooking with or eating edible flowers, remember to only
eat the petals. The pistils and stamens of a flower should not
be consumed. Until you've tested the effects of a single flower,
it's best not to ingest large quantities of any blossom, no
matter how safe it may seem at the time.
Some of the most common flowers said to be edible are apple
blossoms, carnations, chrysanthemums, dandelions, geraniums,
marigolds, honeysuckle,pansies, tulips - even lillies and roses!
There are so many more edible flowers out there, and recipes are
available all over the internet. There are also cookbooks
devoted solely to using these beautiful blooms.
So, the next time you've got some freshly cut flowers serving as
a centerpiece for your company, you might want to reach up and
have a little snack - as long as no one is watching!
About the author:
Amanda Baker writes for All Things Pondered
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