Though most people think of flowers as ornaments for the home or garden, many of them are in fact edible. Lavender buds can be pressed into cookies, the essence of roses is used to make Turkish Delight, and Nasturtiums brighten up a summer salad with their peppery orange blossoms. Primroses are another great edible flower. You can use them fresh but to preserve them for longer, you can crystallize primroses in sugar.
Primrose flowers are Edible
Primroses are one of the most common and beautiful spring flowers and they also happen to fall into the edible category. Though personally I don’t think they taste like much on their own, when coated with sugar they transform into a beautifully sweet and natural decoration that can be used on desserts and cakes.
Primroses come in a range of Colours
Primroses are low-growing plants with rough, tongue-like leaves. The colour of the flowers may vary but they’ll likely be a creamy yellow with a darker yellow centre if you find them growing wild in the countryside. You may well have them growing in your garden as well and in that case they can be pink, purple, white, or a range of other colours. All colours of primrose are edible.
How to Crystallise Flowers
Egg wash – lightly beat the white of one egg with a teaspoon of cold water
Edible flowers and leaves – I’m using Primrose flowers and Peppermint leaves Sugar – fine textured white or brown granulated sugar will do. Icing/powdered sugar is not suitable.
1. If you’re sure the flowers are clean don’t bother washing them. If you do wash them then you must let the flowers dry completely before continuing.
2. Using a clean paintbrush that has never been in contact with potentially toxic substances (think oil paint), paint the egg wash on a flower. Make sure to coat the entire surface, both front and back.
3. Pour 1/4 cup of sugar into a bowl and once the flower is coated in egg wash, place the flower in with the sugar. Coat as much of the flower’s surface as you can then take it out and place the flower face-down on a tray lined with baking/kitchen paper. Leave to try for between 1-2 days; primroses take about a day to stiffen up but some of the thicker flowers and leaves will take longer.
4. Once hardened, use the flowers to decorate cakes, cupcakes, and desserts. You can also crystalise Primroses well in advance since they can last for up to a year if stored in a dark, dry place. These flowers are also so pretty that they’re perfect for decorating a spring cake or even being packaged up in tissue paper and given to a friend as a gift.
If you’ve used light coloured icing, like I have on my cake, edible leaves, such as Peppermint, create a nice backdrop for the flowers. You could even use them to recreate a rosette of Primroses like you’d find growing outside in the spring sunshine.
Other Edible Flowers
This is not a comprehensive list and if you have experience with another flower please let us know about it in the comments section below
Angelica – celery flavoured
Borage (Starflower) – cucumber flavoured
Burnet – lightly flavoured like cucumber
Calendula (Pot marigold) – lightly peppery
Carnation (Pink) – spicy and anise-like
Chamomile – light apple flavour. Use only the flowers.
Chives – onion flavour
Gladioli – lettuce flavour
Hollyhock – no definable flavour
Impatiens – no definable flavour
Jasmine – sweet and floral
Lavender – fragrant and floral
Lilac – lemony and floral
Nasturtium – peppery
Pansy – lightly sweet to tart
Primrose – lightly sweet to no flavour
Rose – sweet and aromatic. Use only the coloured parts of the petals
Runner and Climbing Beans – crisp and bean-like
Scented Geraniums – faintly citrusy
Snapdragon – no flavour to bitter
Squash& Pumpkin Flowers – sweet
Sunflower – may be slightly bitter but adds a lot of colour
Hi Tanya, Thank you for the tutorial. I am growing many of the flowers on your list this year, as well as violas which will be perfect for crystallizing.
Violas and Pansies are beautiful little flowers that would be perfect for crystallizing. They'd look lovely arranged on a cake with a few of the other edible flower types don't you think? 🙂
Hi Tanya,
Thank you for the tutorial. I am growing many of the flowers on your list this year, as well as violas which will be perfect for crystallizing.
Violas and Pansies are beautiful little flowers that would be perfect for crystallizing. They'd look lovely arranged on a cake with a few of the other edible flower types don't you think? 🙂
Thanks for sharing! A great lesson!
You're very welcome Endah 🙂
What an elegant touch! Thank you for the tutorial and for sharing at the Clever Chicks Blog Hop!
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
So pretty! Sadly, my cakes don't always turn out so well. But if I added these, they'd at least make a good impression sitting on the counter!
These are so pretty! Now I want to bake something just so I can add these pretty, edible flowers to it! 🙂