Petal to Plate

Words + photos by Vairdy Frail

Growing up on the West Coast with a mother and grandmother who were avid gardeners, I loved harvesting what we grew. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of summer evenings in the garden with my mom before dinner. She would pick the greens while I gathered nasturtium flowers — my favourite — for our salad.

Edible flowers grow all over the Sea to Sky region, on farms and in yards and gardens. Some, like nasturtiums, are more commonly known to be edible and are ubiquitous in container pots and planter beds, while others, like fireweed and borage, are native to the area, but people don’t realize they’re edible.

These flowers also beautify your space, support veggies as companion plants and attract beneficial insects. Pluck the blooms and add raw petals and sometimes even the entire flower — and the leaves — to salads and desserts, or use as beautiful garnishes for drinks and charcuterie platters.

Vegetable plants like beans, peas and squash have edible blooms, as do brassicas like kale, broccoli and arugula. As they bolt, eat the flowers. Arugula blooms taste as peppery as their leaves, and brassica flowers also have a flavour profile similar to that of their foliage.

Dahlias, commonly grown for their beauty, are beloved by flower farmers and amateur gardeners alike. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that these gorgeous blooms, native to Mexico, are not only ornamental but are also traditionally used in food, medicine and ceremonies. Historically, dahlias were grown in the capital of the Aztec Empire, modern-day Mexico City. The tubers were used as a tonic and diuretic to treat coughs, fevers and other ailments, while the flowers were incorporated in ceremonies. Dahlia motifs adorned the helmets of Aztec warriors, and today the dahlia is the official flower of Mexico.

Other edible flowers, including calendula, marigold, bee balm and sunflowers, are important for attracting pollinators (see story The Industrious Life of Bees). Savvy gardeners know that planting certain flowers alongside vegetables attracts beneficial insects and pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths and hummingbirds. It’s an easy — and beautiful — way to keep gardens healthy and reduce pests while supporting the surrounding ecosystem.

Last summer, Alyssa Belter of Plenty Wild Farms in Pemberton added edible flowers to her crop of more than 50 vegetable varieties. Inspired by a viola-garnished cocktail at Alta Bistro in Whistler, she chose to plant violas for their cold hardiness, early blooms and long growing season. “We also enjoy growing edible flowers for their beauty and because they’re beneficial to ‘good bugs’ like bees, lacewings and parasitic wasps,” says Belter.

I’ll add violas and dahlias to my own garden this season, and then use their blooms in the kitchen for some petal-to-plate cuisine. I’ve inherited my mother’s green thumb, and growing vegetables and edible flowers is part of a tradition that feeds my family and the local ecosystem.