We all know that peas, carrots, parsley and squash will make an edible garden. But did you know that you could have a beautiful flower garden that can contribute to your culinary arts as well? There are many kinds of edible flowers that can contribute both beauty and flavor to your table.

Chive and garlic blossoms are milder versions of their more usually used parts, and will add zest and interest to a salad. Calendula and marigolds have been called "poor man's saffron," and can be used to replace that dearly expensive spice in almost any recipe. Carnations have a spicy flavor, like cloves. To use them, cut the petals away from the base, which can be bitter.

Rose, lavender, hibiscus and scented geraniums are frequently used in ethnic dishes. Use them to flavor custards or sorbets, and garnish with the colorful petals. Pansies and their tiny cousins, violets and Johnny Jump-Ups, can be tossed into salads, sugared and used as cake decorations, or frozen into ice cubes and used in punch. Daylily blossoms can be stuffed and fried. Toss spicy nasturtiums with snow peas and pasta, or stuff them with a delicate cream cheese mixture as stunning additions to an appetizer platter.

Suitable Flowers for Culinary Use

The best flowers to use for food are those you have grown yourself. That is the only way you can be sure they are free of pesticides and inappropriate fertilizers. If you fertilize your garden, use a compound labeled as safe for other edibles such as vegetables. Then, go ahead and eat the daisies!