One of my favorite edible roses recipes is also one of the easiest to make. (I had to leave out so many tasty dishes!) But here are six edible roses recipes that are among my favorites. Honestly, I had trouble selecting the recipes for this story. Their flavor is delicate but distinctive. Rose petals can be used in so many dishes. If you like these edible roses recipes, also check out my Edible Spring Flowers story and recipes. Even with organic controls, I like to wait several days after application of an organic product before harvesting roses. When you’re ready to cook, gently rinse the petals and place them on a paper towel to dry.Īs tempting as it may be, never accept a rose (for culinary purposes) from another garden unless you are 110% sure that the flower was grown organically. Notice that the base of the petal is whitish. Put the cut flowers in a clean vase of room-temperature water until you’re ready to use them.ĭo not use the whole blossom. To encourage more blooms, cut flowers at a 45-degree angle down to the lowest, outward-facing, 5- or 7-leaflet group. When preparing edible roses recipes, it is important to harvest roses early in the day. In 1996, a friend visited and saw my lush plantings and raved how lucky I was “to have such an abundance of such a delicious rose.” She had tasted it, as she did all roses she grew organically, and discovered a delightful rosy flavor.Įdible Roses Recipes: From Garden to Kitchen It was great in the garden in all types of soil and sun, but it had no scent. I trialed this rose a few years before its formal introduction in 1995. But I was proven wrong with Flower Carpet® Red rose. I had always thought that roses with no fragrance had no taste.
Like many herbs, most roses taste like they smell. I have yet to find a David Austin (English) rose that doesn’t taste good. You’ll see in my list of 10 Great Roses to Grow in Your Garden that many of my favorite roses are hybrid teas. That’s why it is important to sample all roses before using them in the kitchen. Some, however, leave a metallic aftertaste. When choosing hybrids, go for the fragrant ones first. The white beach rose (Rosa rugosa alba) may be the most delicious edible rose petal. Try Damask roses ( Rosa damascena) and Apothecary rose ( Rosa gallica). It is the most delicious rose, with Rosa rugosa coming in a strong second. With all the roses to choose from, how do you pick those to eat?įirst, seek out the white beach rose Rosa rugosa alba. The flavors of rose petals run the gamut from totally flavorless to bitter, sour to sweet, slightly spicy to herbal and apple to minty. There are more than 200 species of roses and 20,000 man-made hybrids.
But the ancient Romans get the credit for introducing the flowers to the world as edible. After all, roses have been cultivated for thousands of years. The Greek poet Sappho summed it all up more than 2,500 years ago when she called roses the “Queen of Flowers.” That’s why I consider edible roses recipes to be the queens of edible flowers foods.
Native only to the northern hemisphere, roses will also grow south of the Equator. Fossil records indicate roses have been on Earth for more than 40 million years-predating humans. Roses are among the most ancient of flowers and are one of the most revered. When it comes to edible flowers, edible roses recipes are among my favorites.