After falling out of favor for many years, cooking and garnishing with flowers is back in vogue once again. Flower cookery has been traced back to Roman times, and to the Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Indian cultures. Edible flowers were especially popular in the Victorian era during Queen Victoria’s reign.
Today, many restaurant chefs and innovative home cooks garnish their entrees with flower blossoms for a touch of elegance. The secret to success when using edible flowers is to keep the dish simple, do not add to many other flavors that will over power the delicate taste of the flower. Today this nearly lost art is enjoying a revival.

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS:
-You should NEVER use pesticides or other chemicals on any part of any plant that produces blossoms you plan to eat.
-Never harvest flowers growing by the roadside.
-Identify the flower exactly and eat only edible flowers and edible parts of those flowers.
-Always remember to use flowers sparingly in your recipes due to the digestive complications that can occur with a large consumption rate. Most herb flowers have a taste that’s similar to the leaf, but spicier. The concept of using fresh edible flowers in cooking is not new.

SOWING:
Season: Annual
Sow: March - June
Height: 18 inches (50 cm)
Plant Spacing: 10-12 inch (25-30cm)
Depth: Press the seeds into the soil
Blooms Time: Summer through fall
Position: Full sun to partial shade
Water: Medium