tasty buds : Boutique farmers from Sonoma County to San Diego, who see profit in culinary trends, are growing edible flowers by the giant bouquet to fill the new demand of chefs who are beginning to introduce them to consumers.

Up, up, up a winding road to Paradise Farms, high above the Pacific Ocean, lavish carpets of yellow, orange, red and pink flowers line the scaling cliffs.

But these flowers are not only for smelling. They’re for eating, too. Boutique farmers from Sonoma County to San Diego, who see profit in culinary trends, are growing edible flowers by the giant bouquet to fill the new demand of chefs who are beginning to introduce them to the consumer.

Jay North, a former hairdresser, and his artist wife, Pamela, who own Paradise Farms in Carpinteria, are such farmers.

The Norths are typical of the new-breed, back-to-the-land farmer emerging out of the health-conscious movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s, which ultimately played an important role in shaping the unique character of the California cuisine.

Fresh baby vegetables and herbs and goat cheese began, for the most part, as cottage industries by backyard dabblers, and today are the symbols of the California cuisine.

And now there are edible flowers, an extension and possibly a result of the baby vegetable rage. Many edible flowers are, after all, the blossoms of herbs and vegetables.

The road to edible flowers was not an easy one for the Norths. In 1972, the couple operated a walk-through-and-pick-your-own-vegetables garden in Carpinteria. They grew basil on a small scale, supplying a few of the restaurants locally. When wholesalers expressed interest in other herbs, the couple expanded their repertoire to include several varieties of herbs.

A local chef or two whose cooking bore the influences of French nouvelle cuisine (in which edible flowers are used heavily), requested nasturtiums from the distributor who handled the Norths’ produce. “We didn’t grow nasturtiums per se, so we foraged for them and were able to fill the order that day. We thought it would be such a great idea selling edible herb flowers, so we immediately planted seeds,” Jay North said.

But wholesalers saw no viable market for edible flowers.

“That killed us because the flowers were so pretty and really had great flavor. So we sent out samples of herb flowers as available, then it all started catching on,” North said.

It was then that Pamela, who has a penchant for research, spent days in the public library and at UC Santa Barbara to determine the edibility of flowers. A UCSB horticulturalist was hired as a consultant, and their edible flower business began to blossom.

Today, the Norths grow 37 acres of herbs, flowers and baby vegetables and 65 acres of citrus groves in Carpinteria.

“So far we grow 20 different herbs and over 35 edible flowering herbs or simply edible flowers. (See the list of edible flowers and their uses on Page 12). By the end of this year we plan to have over 100 edible flowers on hand,” North said.

Clients who purchase the Norths’ products through distributors across the nation include Balducci’s in New York, and numerous restaurants in Los Angeles (Biltmore, Spago and Hotel Bel-Air among them). And the list grows.

“So far, we work strictly with wholesalers around the country, and one of our major jobs has been to educate them as to (the flowers’) uses. People are simply not aware you can eat flowers when they have been told for a long time to beware of them. European chefs have knowledge of edible flowers, but American chefs are still looking at them as a decorative item,” North said.

Edible flowers, though beautiful to look at and lovely to use, do cost: $3.75 to $16 (wholesale) for a small pint-size basket, depending on the flower. Flower of Juda, a once-a-year violet-rose-colored bloomer, which tastes like a pea, is the most expensive.

Pamela has spent time not only in the laboratory with a horticulturist but in her own kitchen developing recipes and ideas that could be suggested for the flowers’ use. One of the challenges of working with flowers is experimenting with flavors. Not all edible flowers lend themselves as flavoring anymore than other ingredients do. Some portions of edible flowers are more palatable than others and some scents work better with other ingredients than others. Chefs willing to experiment with flowers are on the increase, however, and there is no telling what culinary happenings will occur as a result, thinks Pamela.

Nor are all flowers meant to be eaten.

“I want to stress that not every flower is edible and florist-bought flowers are not edible either,” said North. “They have been grown for decoration and are treated as such. Chemicals are used in all phases of their growth and these chemicals are not made for human consumption.”

Cautioned Against Using Chemicals

Those who want to grow edible flowers should be cautioned to use no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides on the flowers. Proper identification of flowers for eating is essential. Check with the list of edible flowers on these pages or, if in doubt, with a horticultural society or a local nursery before biting into the flowers. Flowers for both medicinal and edible purposes have been recorded throughout history. Ancient Chinese created soothing brews made with herb flowers. Persians sank rose petals into hot water to make tea and other refreshing beverages, or preserved the petals in jams. Rose and orange blossom essences have been used to scent the hands and flavor dishes of peoples in the Middle East and Africa for thousands of years. Victorians crystallized violets to garnish cakes and pastries.

Flowers have many other uses, too. Petals, such as those of the day lily, can be used in salads or stuffed as you would endive leaves for hors d’oeuvres.

Daisies are beautiful in salads or hors d’oeuvres and great for cake decorations, too.

Petals or small edible flowers may be crystallized to decorate cakes or other sweet dishes.

Some flowers, such as lavender wands, can be used to flavor stews, punches, marinades and jellies.

Pansy petals make lovely garnishes on hors d’oeuvres as well as salads, or as crystallized candy.

Savory flowers or chive blossoms make charming garnishes on fish plates or salads.

Roquette Also Called Arugula

Roquette or rocket flowers (properly called roquette) should not be confused with rocket. Said North: “The only real link between the two is that they are both in the mustard family. Roquette is also known as arugula (rugula or ruccola). Whichever you call it, the flowers are not getting the recognition they deserve. They are beautiful creamy white flowers with a dash of black and dark red near the centers. The flowers and the buds have a mild taste of arugula. They add beauty and flavor to any salad or cold meat sandwich.”

Pineapple sage flowers add exciting flavor to fruit cups.

Nasturtiums’ beautiful yellow, orange, red, rust and mahogany colors make decorative additions to salads or they can be stuffed with various cheese fillings as hors d’oeuvres. The peppery hot leaves can be used to flavor sauces (see Spago’s Nasturtium Pasta recipes on Page 12), and the unripened seeds can be used as mock capers (recipe is given here).

Here are some recipes from both Paradise Farms and our files using some of the flowers.

PARADISE FARMS FLOWER SALAD

1/2 head butter lettuce

5 nasturtiums

3 sprigs roquette, flowers whole, stems chopped

6 borage flowers

2 roses, petals only

3 pansies, petals only

Honey-Poppy Seed Dressing

Tear lettuce into bite-size pieces. Place lettuce on plate. Decorate with flowers, stems and petals. Sprinkle with Honey-Poppy Seed Dressing and toss lightly. Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Honey-Poppy Seed Dressing

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup raspberry vinegar

Poppy seeds

Mix honey and raspberry vinegar. Add desired amount of poppy seeds and stir well.

ROSE PETAL JAM

Rose petals

2 cups boiling water

3 cups sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Red food color, optional

Gather red, strong-scented roses or mixture of colors when fully open and fresh. Do not use old, bruised roses. Remove choice petals gently and rinse carefully in lukewarm water. Remove white petal ends and cut petals into 1/4-inch strips. Pack firmly into measuring cup to measure 2 cups.

Place measured petals in saucepan and cover with boiling water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until petals are tender. Strain, reserving petals and liquid.

Add sugar and honey to liquid in which petals were cooked and simmer, uncovered, until syrup reaches 220 degrees on candy thermometer, about 30 minutes. Add petals and simmer about 40 minutes longer. Add lemon juice and simmer 30 minutes longer. If color is too pale, add a few drops of food color. Pour hot into sterilized small jelly glasses, leaving 1/8 inch head space. Adjust lids. Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes. Makes about 2 glasses.

CRYSTALLIZED FLOWERS

1 egg white, at room temperature

Any edible flower petal or small flowers with few petals

1/4 cup sugar

Beat egg white lightly to liquefy in small bowl. Rinse flower petals or blossoms and dry thoroughly. With small brush, paint both sides of each petal with egg white, being sure to cover petals completely. Use wood pick to separate leaves of multi-petal flowers. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Place on rack or baking sheet and let dry in cool, dry place until sugar has hardened. Store in airtight container to use throughout year.

NASTURTIUM FLOWER SAUCE

1 pint malt vinegar

4 shallots or 1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

6 whole cloves

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup loosely packed nasturtiums

1 cup soy sauce

Combine vinegar, shallots, garlic, cloves, cayenne and salt in saucepan. Bring to boil and boil 10 minutes. Place nasturtium flowers in clean 1-pint canning jar. Pour vinegar mixture over nasturtium flowers. Cover tightly and let stand 2 months in cool, dry place. Strain and add soy sauce. Bottle for later use, if desired. Makes about 1 pint.

MOCK CAPERS

2 cups fresh nasturtium seeds

1 cup water

1/4 cup salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup vinegar

Wash and drain seeds. Place in jar or small crock. Mix water and salt and pour over seeds. Cover and let stand in cool place 2 days. Drain liquid from seeds and place seeds in sterilized jar. Combine sugar and vinegar in saucepan. Bring to boil and pour over seeds. Seal. Allow to stand about 4 weeks before using. Makes about 4 cups.

ROSE TEA

1/2 cup rose petals, loosely packed

3 to 4 cups water

Sugar to taste, optional

Place rose petals in warm teapot. Bring water to boil and pour over rose petals. (For weaker tea use 4 cups). Let steep 5 minutes. Pour into cups. Add sugar. Makes 3 to 4 cups tea.

ROSE SNOW

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup cold water

1 cup Rose Syrup

Dash salt

Whites of 2 large eggs

Raspberry-Rose Sauce

Soften gelatin in cold water and heat over boiling water to dissolve. Add Rose Syrup and salt, stirring until salt is dissolved. Chill until mixture resembles unbeaten egg whites. Add egg whites and beat until mixture holds shape. Spoon into dishes and chill. Serve with Raspberry-Rose Sauce. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Rose Syrup

2 cups fresh rose petals

Sugar

Place petals in saucepan and press down. Add enough cold water to cover, 1 cup at a time, keeping count. Bring to boil, reduce heat and gradually add sugar, using 3 cups sugar for every cup of water. Return to boil, reduce heat and simmer until syrupy, about 10 to 12 minutes. Strain through cloth filter into jar, cover tightly and store in warm place at least 10 days before using.

Raspberry-Rose Sauce

1 (10-ounce) package frozen raspberries

Few drops rose water

2 tablespoons kirsch

Thaw and heat raspberries with rose water and kirsch.

Note: Rose water is available at Middle Eastern or gourmet grocery store.