LOVING......EDIBLE FLOWERS!

Monday morning started well, with the postman delivering a little surprise gift!

As a thank you from the team at Sarah Raven, for my contributing guest blogger posts for their main website blog 'Garlic and Sapphire', I received this rather lovely 'Flower Vase Set'....

A sweet lilac glass vase, with a packet of Calendula seeds...how gorgeous will these vibrant orange beauties look when grown, and placed inside.  Two colours from opposite ends of the colour wheel that work so well....

Not just decorative, Calendula (or commonly known as 'Pot Marigold') have been used traditionally as both culinary and medicinal herbs. The petals are edible and can be used fresh in salads or dried and used to colour cheese or as a replacement for saffron.  

Calendula oil is used medicinally as an anti- inflammatory and a remedy for healing wounds, claiming to have antiviral properties too.  

It is for salads that I like to grow Calendula, along with an assortment of other edible flowers such as Nasturtiums, Pansies, Borage and Violas....there is nothing like a pretty pop of colour, to brighten a large mixed bowl of leaves....we eat with our eyes after all!

A wonderful source for both growing and cooking with edible flowers, is in this beautiful book written by Kathy Brown which I came across last summer at the 'Chelsea Physic Garden'.  With over 400 gorgeous photographs, and many projects, tips and recipes, it is a wonderful source of inspiration for both gardener and cook...

Do any of you like to grow or use edible flowers?

If you have any favourites or tips, I would love to hear from you......

Roll on Spring....I can hardly wait!

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Sophia xx