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Photos of Edible Greens |
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Edible MarigoldsThere are two unrelated plants eated as marigolds; the first is actually not a marigold at all, but a calendula, also sometimes called a 'Pot Marigold'. My canaries love the leaves and flowerheads of this plant, which has hundreds of years of culinary history. The petals work well in cooked and fresh dishes, with flavors ranging from spicy to bitter, tangy to peppery. The sharp taste of the flower petals resembles saffron, giving rise to it's other common name of 'Poor Man’s Saffron'. The pretty petals in hues of golden-orange hues will help to enhance yellow in canary feathers, while the yellow or orange petals will color and flavor most foods when chopped and sautéed with them (cooking brings out the colour). Most birds enjoy the greens or flowers equally well, while humans eat the greens in salad mixes, or sprinkle the flower petals on soups, pasta or rice dishes, herb butters, and salads, or use them to add a yellow tint to soups, spreads, and scrambled eggs. Gem Marigolds (Tagetes tenuifolia): 'Lemon Gem' and 'Tangerine Gem' Marigolds are the best-tasting of edible 'true' marigolds. All marigolds are technically edible, but other species are very bitter, and some can carry toxic levels of oxalic acids. Gem Marigolds are also known as 'dwarf marigolds' or 'signet marigolds'. They have a spicy, herbal flavor ranging from tangy to bitter, depending on the soil and growing conditions. As the common names suggest, they have a citrus flavor, even though you won't smell a citrus scent. Most of my canaries enjoy these flowers, but I pull off the petals and break off and remove the bitter portion that comes to a right angle, when eating them myself. If you want to preserve calendula or gem marigolds for the winter, the petals can be dried. Try adding them to nestling foods, or use them yourself in egg dishes such as quiche, scrambled eggs, omelette, or deviled eggs. They're also good in mayonnaise salads such as egg, potato, or chicken, or added to breads and muffins. |
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