Global menu

The Green pages

Precautions and edible flowers

English
The flowers and leaves of the bergamot are edible.
Photo: Jardin botanique de Montréal (Lise Servant)
Bergamot is an edible flower.

The world of flowers is not all beauty. Don't trust either the smell or the taste of a flower to decide if you can eat it. Use only species with well-established edibility reputations and which have been grown for food (they must be free of pesticides). Never consume flowers purchased from the florist.

Like for mushrooms, some are gastronomic delights and other can cause death or serious health problems. As newspaper editors say: "When in doubt, leave out".

Introduce edible flowers into your diet gradually and in small quantities. As a precaution, people with allergies to pollen should avoid consuming flowers. In addition, some flowers are not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Children can get very excited about eating flowers. However, it is very important to keep them well informed and to oversee what they are gathering.