Flower buffet

Foraging diaries # 6: Dandelion, Lime tree, Clovers, Rose, Oxeye Daisy.

On a sunny morning, I grabbed my basket and a pair of scissors and spent the morning looking for edible plants in the neighboring fields. It's great to live in the countryside!

Not a recipe per se, the flower buffet is a way to show you what edible flowers and tree leaves are there in early June that could be added to a salad to make it more rich, interesting or colourful.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale): the young leaves are better as they get bitter with time so May would be the ideal time to eat them. As I mention in a previous blog, dandelion flowerheads can be used to make dandelion cordial or wine.

Lime tree (Tilia): the lighter almost translucent young leaves have a sweet taste and can be used instead of lettuce. Flowers are also edible but later in June / July.

Red clover (Trifolium pratense): sweet tasting flowers.

White clover (Trifolium repens): sweet tasting flowers.

Rose (Rosa): it tastes exactly as it smells!

Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare): flowers have a mild taste of difficult description. Try it!

Before eating, I washed them in a bath of diluted vinegar as all these are found in fields which humans, dogs, cows and horses share.