Behold, the incredible edible flower

A plant that reseeds itself is a garden hero. Year after year, these

faithful friends show up in familiar places. Without demanding

attention, they bloom and grow on their own, only needing a vacant

spot to spend a season.

The nasturtiums that spill down the sides of my potted citrus are

my garden stars. They intermittently come to stay and bring bright

orange blooms with beautiful variegated leaves. I think they give my

potted citrus garden an extra dash of style and they offer an extra

splash of color in between fruit cycles.

The nasturtiums that arrive in my garden also sneak into the

kitchen. With their peppery flavor, they get tossed in salads, added

to soups and used as garnish for desserts.

I use them with reckless abandon. A mound of nasturtiums in a

salad is an attention grabber. Nasturtiums aren’t the only flowers

that make it into my kitchen. Other garden heroes end up in the food

chain:

Geranium and borage flowers have a cucumber-fresh taste and are

the perfect companions for a fruit salad. Rose petals can be used as

a decoration or as a flavoring. Think of pink rose petals sprinkled

on top of a girly-girl birthday cake. Perfect.

Dianthus, or “garden pinks”, look like miniature carnations. These

pink flowers are great for adding color and a light flavor to

desserts. Candied violets make a beautiful topper for chocolate

truffles. Bold marigolds have a delicate flavor and create a soft

orange hue to cake batters and sauces.

Flowers are unexpected ingredients that give a large return on

investment. Impress the family, or better yet, invite a few friends

over for lunch and surprise them with some of these beautiful and

delicious recipes from “Flowers as Food,” written by Jane Newdick and

Mary Lawrence.

SUMMER SALAD

Mixed lettuce leaves

About 36 nasturtium heads

DRESSING

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon walnut oil

1 teaspoon prepared French mustard

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, salt and ground pepper

Combine dressing ingredients. Toss with lettuce and nasturtiums

just before serving.

MARIGOLD CAULIFLOWER

1 medium sized cauliflower, lightly steamed

WHITE SAUCE

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup plain white flour

1 1/4 cups milk

1/3 cup grated cheese

6 marigold heads

Salt and pepper

Combine ingredients for white sauce.

Add grated cheese.

Remove from heat and sit in marigold petals.

Place the lightly cooked cauliflower into a serving dish and pour

the sauce over the top.

ELDERFLOWER FRITTERS

Elderflowers sprays, just opened

2 eggs

1/2 cup plain flour

1 1/4 cups milk

Icing sugar

Oil for deep frying

Sift flour, make a well in the center of the flour and add egg

yolks.

Draw flour into yolks and gradually add milk.

Beat batter until smooth.

Heat the oil in a deep pan.

Dip the flower heads into batter, shake off excess and deep fry

the flower head for two minutes.

Dry on a paper towel.

Cut off stalks just before serving and dust with sugar.

GERANIUM JELLY

4 pounds cooking apples

4 cups water

Granulated sugar

Juice of 2 lemons

15 scented geranium leaves. There are many types of scented

geraniums: rose and lemon-scented varieties are the best for making

jelly.

Serve with scones

Chop the apples, leaving skins.

Put apples in a large pan with the water and simmer until soft.

Strain. Do not squeeze the fruit through the strainer or the jelly

will be cloudy. For every two cups of juice

4 cups of sugar.

Add the lemon juice and the geranium leaves.

Stir over low heat to dissolve sugar

Boil rapidly for 10 minutes until set.

Quickly remove leaves and pour into clean, warm jars.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs

Sundays.