The weather has been changing. Can you feel fall in the air where you are? We are still enjoying all the fresh, delicious food from the garden, but knowing the days are limited makes me extra appreciative of each bite. One thing our family has been especially loving this summer are fresh salads with the addition of colorful flowers. Adding the flowers makes the most delightful and beautiful salads!

These pictures show a colander of garden ingredients ready to make into a salad. I’ll harvest a mix of lettuces, a handful of arugula, some fresh herbs- parsley, thyme, or basil, and then some flowers. When I discovered that you could eat calendula flowers, they started making their way onto every salad. Then the nasturtiums were blooming, and I started adding those too. (B skips the nasturtiums and arugula on his salads- a bit too spicy for his liking.)

I love making these salads. Once I wash all the lettuce and break it up into bite sized pieces, then I add the arugula, and sprinkle the herbs on top. I typically do a simple dressing with olive oil and apple cider vinegar (or brine from fermented vegetables, which I think is especially yummy on salads.) Sometimes I sprinkle some seaweed flakes over the top for some added minerals, and we all love dried cranberries on our salads. The final touch is to add the flowers.

Next year I want to plant more edible flowers because not only do they make for such a beautiful meal, they also make the meal feel extra special. Throughout my life, flowers have always been for looking at, admiring, and smelling… but not for eating. Eating flowers feels a bit magical to me!

What do you love on your salads? Do you have any favorite edible flowers? What summer foods are you savoring from your garden or farmer’s market?