by Nadine Sellers

Created on: May 02, 2010   Last Updated: May 03, 2010

Hush and eat your flowers...It may not have come to this, but eating delectable blooms off the honeysuckle vines has been a favorite pastime of southern children. Why not revive tradition and innovate along. Read or research online for all the naturally nutritious treats.

As one person in the nearly seven billion population, watching it climb everyday, i may not have such an effect as to calm prices and equalize income..But..I can use what i do have to enjoy the present.

The long winter has saturated the clay soils and produced many blooms all around, so the price of salad is high. Then i' ll eat the flowers. so many blooms are edible, books are available in libraries to educate the timid palate. here are a few colorful additions to your free fare.

Violets, easy to notice and to add to your daily food, pick anytime of day, include leaves, wash and sprinkle on salads, or pasta. The taste is mild and texture is crunchy. The English add a candy glaze to their violets, The French add them as cake decor, let your imagination lead. Nutritionally, they add much needed minerals and have been said to improve eyesight, long before anti-oxidants were isolated.

Redbud blooms are easy to gather, the branches are covered with tiny red...buds in spring and are one of the first flowering trees to delight in woods and neighborhoods. Pull thumb and forefinger along branch and put handfuls in a paper bag, refrigerate, add to salads, to fried foods, include in omelette or pancakes for a crispy-nutty taste. No overwhelming taste and plenty of nutrition.

Fruit-trees also provide refreshing blooms, apple, peach and plum are great in tea, dried or fresh, they soothe the weary mind.. It may be harder to harvest tiny blooms, so use them sparsely to cheer up a sorry salad, add visual appeal to dull green stuff. experiment with one then another, add the leaves, pick them young, in the center of the corolla or rosette. greens become unbearably bitter with just a few days of sunshine.

Dandelions are unmistakable to the lawn owner. I gather as many as i can, buds included, and i eat a few as i walk—as long I know that the area has not been sprayed with herbicides.. What to do with a large bag of them? anything you want.

Omelette:

3 eggs-3Tbsp milk-1 tsp flour, or corn starch—1/2 tsp sea salt-1tps grated lemon rind-1 cup dandelions buds-1/2 cup minced onion-1 Tsp olive oil- Garlic to taste.

Quick fry the minced onion till clear- add cut up dandelion buds and lemon rinds.

Beat eggs, milk, flour, salt -pour onto onions and greens.

Elevate omelette with a fork as it cooks to allow the liquid to form a solid crust.

Fold in two when dry like flaps and cut in wedges to serve.

Pancakes:

3 eggs-11/2 cups milk-1 cup whole wheat or buckwheat flour, 1 cup white flower-1/2 cup violet, honeysuckle or redbud blooms -1 Tsp baking powder-1Tbsp flaxseed-1Tsp walnuts-powdered lecithin, if available-1tsp vanilla-pinch of turmeric-sea salt-ginger.

Mix dry ingredients together- add beaten eggs and milk. If too thick add milk.

Pour with small ladle onto hot griddle- brush on peanut or canola oil if you do not use nonstick cookware.

When it stops bubbling, turn  pancake and allow one minute of browning.

Serve with sweet cream or a sprinkle of raw turbinado or brown sugar on top.

And don't forget to gather a few branches of forsythia or quince to bring the sun in the room...or decorate the plate.

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