Home › Guides › Edible flowers & herbs

Veggies & herbs

Edible flowers & how to use our herbs

A lot of what we grow is good to eat — not just the basil and chives, but pansies, rose petals, squash blossoms and bee balm. Here’s what’s safe, what it tastes like, and what to do with it, plus the plants to keep off the plate.

A bowl of mixed salad greens topped with purple and yellow pansies, beside fresh basil, parsley, chives, mint and thyme

Edible flowers Not for eating Cooking with herbs

Before you eat any flower

Know exactly what it is. Go by the plant’s real name — common names mix up safe and poisonous plants.
Only eat flowers grown without pesticides. Never florist, roadside or unknown flowers. We grow without chemical pesticides, but ask wherever you buy.
Petals, usually. Pull off stamens, pistils and the bitter white base of petals. Pollen can bother people with allergies or asthma.
Start small. Try one new flower at a time, a little at first. Edible doesn’t always mean tasty.
Pick in the cool of the morning. Rinse gently and keep them in the fridge between damp paper towels.

From our benches

Edible flowers we grow

We only list flowers that university extension services call edible. Our marigolds and lavender aren’t here on purpose: signet marigolds and English lavender are the kitchen types, and the marigolds and Spanish lavender we grow are for looks.

Pansies

Eat: Whole flower
Tastes: Mild, grassy, a little sweet
Try it: Salads, cake tops, frozen in ice cubes

Dark flowers can tint your tongue for a bit.

Snapdragons

Eat: Petals
Tastes: Leafy, slightly bitter
Try it: A colorful garnish more than a flavor

Open the flower and rinse out the pollen.

Dianthus (pinks)

Eat: Petals
Tastes: Sweet and clove-like
Try it: Fruit salad, lemonade, sorbet, cake

Snip off the bitter white base of each petal.

Tuberous begonias

Eat: Petals
Tastes: Tangy, lemony
Try it: A few petals on a salad

Only the tuberous kind (our Nonstops). Begonias contain oxalic acid, so keep it to a few petals.

Dahlias

Eat: Petals
Tastes: Mild, like water chestnut
Try it: Salads, garnish, baked goods

Flowers only — not the leaves or tubers.

Bee balm

Eat: Flowers and petals
Tastes: Minty, citrusy, like Earl Grey tea
Try it: Tea, salads, garnish

Hollyhocks

Eat: Petals or the whole flower
Tastes: Very mild
Try it: A pretty garnish, or a big bloom as a little dip bowl

Daylilies

Eat: Petals and unopened buds
Tastes: Buds taste like green beans; petals mild and sweet
Try it: Stir-fry or tempura the buds, petals in salads

Eat in moderation. Only daylilies — true lilies are not edible. Daylilies are toxic to cats.

Roses

Eat: Petals
Tastes: Perfumed and sweet
Try it: Syrup, jam, tea, ice cream

Snip off the bitter white base of each petal.

Pineapple sage & garden sage

Eat: Flowers
Tastes: Pineapple sage fruity; garden sage mild sage
Try it: Salads, desserts, tea, pasta

Culinary sages only — not the bedding salvias.

Squash blossoms

Eat: Whole blossom
Tastes: Like mild raw squash
Try it: Stuff with cheese and fry

Pull out the stamens and pistil first.

Chive blossoms

Eat: Florets
Tastes: Oniony and strong
Try it: Pull apart over potatoes, eggs, salads; steep in vinegar for a pink vinegar

Basil flowers

Eat: Flowers
Tastes: Basil, but milder
Try it: Sprinkle on pasta and tomatoes

Pinching them off keeps the leaves from turning bitter, so you get both.

Dill flowers

Eat: Flower heads
Tastes: Stronger than the leaves
Try it: Pickles, dips, fish

Pick heads while still green for pickling.

Cilantro flowers

Eat: Flowers
Tastes: Milder than the leaves, a little citrusy
Try it: Tacos, soups, salads

Thyme flowers

Eat: Flowers
Tastes: Mild thyme
Try it: Salads, garnish, herb vinegar

Oregano & marjoram flowers

Eat: Flowers
Tastes: Like the leaves, a bit milder
Try it: Pizza, pasta, salads

Mint flowers

Eat: Flowers
Tastes: Softly minty
Try it: Tea, fruit salad, drinks

Fennel flowers

Eat: Flowers
Tastes: Sweet anise
Try it: Fish, salads, roasted vegetables

Arugula flowers

Eat: Flowers
Tastes: Nutty and peppery
Try it: A few on a salad

Once arugula flowers, the leaves turn bitter.

Rosemary flowers

Eat: Flowers
Tastes: Milder than the leaves
Try it: Sprinkled raw on salads or pasta

Use them raw, as a garnish.

Pretty, but not for eating

These are on the extension services’ poisonous or not-edible lists. Some are seriously toxic. Keep them out of salads, and out of reach of kids and pets — check the pet mark on each plant’s page.

Herbs

Cooking with the herbs we grow

Herbs taste best picked often and young. Most lose flavor once they flower, so keep pinching. Air-drying in small bundles somewhere warm, dark and airy works for the sturdy ones; freeze the soft ones.

Herb	Tastes	Cook with	Picking	Keeping
Basil	Sweet, clove-like; lemon, Thai and cinnamon types differ	Pesto, tomatoes, caprese; Thai basil in stir-fries and curries	Cut just above a pair of leaves and pinch off flowers. Frost kills it.	Freeze leaves, in ice cubes or oil. Best fresh.
Chives	Mild onion	Potatoes, eggs, dips, soups	Snip leaves at the base; cut off spent flower stalks.	Freeze chopped — no need to thaw.
Cilantro	Bright and citrusy; the seeds (coriander) warm and spicy	Salsa, tacos, curries	Cut leaves at about 6″. It bolts in heat, so replant every few weeks.	Best fresh. Freeze in ice cubes; dry the seed.
Culantro	Like cilantro, only stronger	Sofrito, Caribbean and Latin stews; chop fine	Pick the oldest outer leaves; it loves summer heat.	Doesn’t keep well — pick what you need.
Dill	Grassy and lemony with a hint of anise	Pickles, fish, potato salad, dips	Pick leaves until it flowers; cut seed heads as they turn tan.	Freeze the leaves (drying loses flavor). Dry the seed.
Fennel	Licorice-anise	Fish, salads, sauces; seed in bread and sausage	Pick fronds anytime; collect seed as it ripens.	Fronds best fresh or frozen; dry the seed.
Lemon grass	Lemony with a touch of ginger	Thai soups and curries, tea, seafood	Cut stalks at the base once they’re about ½″ thick, before frost.	Smash, simmer, then fish it out.
Marjoram	Sweeter, milder oregano	Meats, soups, tomato dishes, herb butter	Harvest when the little knot-like buds form.	Hang to dry; keeps about a year.
Mint	Cool menthol — spearmint mild, peppermint strong	Tea, mojitos, fruit salad, sauces	Pick often before it blooms. Give it its own pot — it spreads.	Dry or freeze the leaves.
Oregano	Pungent and peppery	Pizza, pasta sauce, meats, soups	Cut before it flowers for the best flavor.	Hang to dry; dried oregano is great.
Parsley	Fresh and peppery; flat-leaf is stronger	Soups, salads, chimichurri, garnish	Snip outer stems near the ground. Takes a light frost.	Best fresh; freeze or dry the rest.
Rosemary	Piney and strong	Roast chicken and potatoes, bread, eggs	Cut tender tips anytime. Bring it inside for winter — it won’t survive outdoors here.	Hang to dry or freeze on the stem.
Sage	Earthy, piney, a little sweet	Poultry, stuffing, sausage, brown butter	Cut leaves all season.	Air-dries easily in bundles.
Shallots	Sweet onion with a touch of garlic	Vinaigrettes, sauces, roasting	Lift bulbs when tops yellow and fall over; cure 1–2 weeks somewhere warm and dry.	Mesh bag, cool and dry: 6 months or more.
Sorrel	Sour and lemony	Soups, sauces, fish, salads	Pick young leaves spring to frost; snip off seed stalks.	Best fresh; freezes well. High in oxalic acid — go easy if you’ve been told to limit it.
Thyme	Earthy and a little sweet	Soups, stews, chicken, roasted vegetables	Cut the top few inches just before it flowers.	Dries easily; keeps about a year.

Citronella “mosquito plant” isn’t a kitchen herb. It’s a scented geranium (and it’s toxic to cats and dogs). For lemon flavor, grow lemon grass.

Sources: Colorado State University Extension, University of Minnesota Extension, University of Alaska Fairbanks, NC State Extension and the ASPCA. When in doubt, don’t eat it — and ask us, at (763) 742-8774.