Flowers You Can Pickle

Did you know that you can pickle and eat flowers? Pickling flowers preserves them so that you can enjoy this delicacy year round, depending on what you add to the brine it also enhances the flavour, and they look stunning on the shelf too.

Edible flowers have gained in popularity over the years, they add beauty to a dish and each flower also has different nutrients. In these times of increased food prices it’s good to know that there are free food options all around us!

Most edible flowers are good enough for pickling, and each has its distinct taste that goes well with other food. One of my favourite flowers at this time of year is the Camellia, the petals of this bloom pickle well and make an attractive garnish. When pickling you want to use healthy, disease-free petals.

The following information is from Dr. Nicole Apelian who is the author of the Lost Book of Herbal Remedies which has over 550 powerful natural remedies made from plants. Many of these remedies have been used by our forefathers for hundreds of years, while others come from Nicole’s extensive natural practice.

Flowers You Can Pickle

Camellia

Camellia (Camellia japonica) has delicate spring blossoms that are either orange, pink, red, yellow, or purple.

It was mostly used as a stomachic and anti-inflammatory remedy in traditional medicine.

Camellia flowers may last up to three weeks and are best harvested before they mature. Harvest the flowers that are blemish-free and process them immediately after picking to preserve their colours.

The dainty, star-shaped flowers of the borage (Borago officinalis) have a taste similar to cucumber.

Its leaves and flowers are edible, and the flowers are best harvested before they are fully open.

To harvest borage, snip the flowers with its fluffy stars included, and discard the withered petals. Place them in a bucket of ice water to keep them hydrated and to easily remove the fluffy parts when using them.

Calendula

Calendula flowers (Calendula officinalis) are an attractive addition to salads giving them a slightly bitter but peppery flavor. Sometimes they are used as cut flowers, but are also nice pickled.

Fresh calendula blooms are best for pickling, but avoid the flowers that have already dried up and started to seed.

Daisy

Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) is a widespread plant with many identical-looking plants but is identifiable with its large flower heads.

Ox-eye daisy is a beautiful ornamental plant that is also used as traditional medicine for internal disorders. It alleviates respiratory problems and manages nervous excitability with its antispasmodic property.

Ox-eye daisy is also a diuretic, emmenagogue, antitussive, tonic, and vulnerary plant. Thus, more than its pretty bloom, it is also a beneficial medicinal plant. Its unopened buds can be pickled and used similar to capers.

Magnolia

Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is a plant that is widely available worldwide and regarded for its medicinal value.

Magnolia grows abundantly in evergreen lowlands of subtropical forests, warm regions, and coastal plains.

In some regions, magnolia flowers are pickled and used as a condiment for their exquisite flavour. Its large flowers exude a lemon-citronella aroma.

 

Click here for five more flowers you can pickle

I highly recommend the Lost Book of Herbal Remedies, I love my copy, it’s an extremely useful, well written, book.

When you order this book in hard copy you also receive the digital copy along with two other digital books:

Everyday Disaster Medicine Guide & 80 Square Feet Medicinal Garden Guide

For more information and to order the digital version click here.

To order a hard copy of the book from New Zealand, which comes with the digital copies, use this link The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies ordering from NZ.