How to Eat Calendula

Add calendula petals to food for a sprinkle of bright color.

Calendula petals have a mild, peppery taste that add bright, sunny color to summer salads and soups. Calendula can also be used in the place of saffron to provide a golden glow to rice dishes. Writing for the North Carolina State University, horticultural scientists Cyndi Lauderdale and Erv Evans suggest using calendula for jams and jellies, and to make a compound butter to be served on pancakes and waffles.

Instructions

1. Harvest or purchase only organically grown calendula that was not grown near a roadside. Flowers growing near roadsides can absorb pollutants from car exhaust.

2. Wash the calendula blossoms, and blot them dry with a clean kitchen cloth or paper towel.

3. Pluck the petals from the flower.

4. Add calendula to salads, soups, vegetable dishes, or any recipe in which a peppery flavor is appropriate.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are growing your own edible calendula, taste it during different times of the day. You may find your calendula is more mild in the morning when still full of moisture, and more peppery in the afternoon.

• Do not eat calendula or any flower that was purchased from a florist or garden center. Many commercial flowers are treated with nonconsumable pesticides.

• If you suffer from hay fever or other food allergies, experiment with calendula by eating only a small portion at a time to make sure it does not cause an allergic reaction.

References

• The Victory Garden Initiative: Paul Tukey's Edible Flower List
• Gardens Ablaze: Caledula Recipes
• North Carolina State University: Edible Flowers

Resources

• Taste of Home: Calendula Paella Recipe