How Do I Gather Edible Flowers?
- 1). Research the edible flowers that are available in your area. Find a reference book on foraging or identifying wild plants, and make sure the book applies to your region. Choose flowers that are easy for you to identify, as some flowers are poisonous. Edible flowers that are common and easy to identify include lavender, day lilies and calendula (marigolds). Fruit blossoms, such as orange blossoms, also are edible.
- 2). Gather edible flowers either early in the morning or in the late afternoon. Flowers keep best when they are not picked in the full heat of the day, which is in the late morning until midafternoon.
- 3). Cut the flowers along the stem. Use your scissors and cut the stems at an angle. Place the cut flowers in your basket and cover the basket with a cloth. When the edible flowers are kept out of direct sunlight, they last longer.
- 4). Bring the flowers inside. Fill one jar or vase with cool water and the other with lukewarm water. Dissolve one aspirin and place one penny in each vessel. This is to provide a balance of acidity and fungicide, which will help keep the edible flowers longer. Put any cut bulbs, such as day lilies, in the vase with cold water. All other edible flowers prefer lukewarm water.
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