So Pretty! So Deadly!

flower-1204186_1920

I watch all…well most of the cooking programmes…I love Masterchef and Great British Menu and I am in awe of the beautiful presentation of the food and if I can ever-present food that resembles those dishes just a little then I will be a happy bunny.

Lots of the FB and Instagram posts portray such beautiful food often adorned with pretty flowers which seems to be something of the norm now.

BUT….. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THOSE PRETTY FLOWERS ARE????

DO YOU ASSUME BECAUSE THEY ARE IN A DISH THAT THEY ARE EDIBLE???

WELL DON’T!

Those pretty little delicate Lily of the Valley flowers which look so innocent…. you see them in a brides bouquets looking so pretty they are actually in fact extremely poisonous. Eating large quantities of this flower can leave you with stomach aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

The lovely pretty Borage flower which graces many a splendid Instagram picture is although edible and pretty to boot.

borage-2396870_1920

 

As is this lovely rose… which is used to make rose-water and flavour ice cream and Turkish delight. The petals can be crystallised and scattered over a beautiful wedding cake. Another edible flower.

rose-2892821_1920

 

DO YOUR RESEARCH these plants are easy to track down as well as very easy to grow… Just be sure you have your plant ID correct and if you are growing them yourself avoid applying gardening chemicals NOT intended for edible plants.

Also if you are purchasing from a third-party double-check whether they have been certified as safe for human consumption. If you can’t don’t take a chance.

THE FLOWERS ON THIS LITTLE LIST ALTHOUGH NOT EXHAUSTIVE are edible: Amaranth, Borage, Calendula, daisies (Bellis), elderflower (Sambucus), fuchsias, gardenia, Hemerocallis, lavender, mint, nasturtium, Primula, roses, Sweet William (Dianthus), Tagetes, and violets (viola) ARE edible.

What do they all these flowers edible or not have in common????

They are pretty!

narcissus-1355460_1920

 

 

These Narcissus which look so beautiful swaying in the gentle breeze have toxic crystals that can cause incredibly painful swelling and sores. Such an irritant are these flowers that gatherers of them can come out in severe rashes on their arms and hands. Just imagine what they could do to your insides…

Some other poisonous flowers are Opium( Poppy), Angel’s trumpet, Nerium Oleander, Daphne, Bella Donna to name but a few…

Pretty doesn’t mean safe to eat……

Did you know those pretty buttercups can kill?

flower-meadow-2944029_1920

 

So please if you are making a beautiful cake or dessert for that special occasion make sure..double-check that the flowers you are using are in fact edible.

If you fancy making flower butter or candied flowers then make sure and double-check from a reputable source that the flowers are edible.

I hope I haven’t deterred you from using flowers to decorate your dish as they can make a dish look so inviting…Can’t they?

Until next time……..Thank you for reading this and feel free to share it could save a life or save someone from great discomfort….

14 thoughts on “So Pretty! So Deadly!”

  1. Pingback: My most popular posts in 2017… | Retired? No one told me!

  6. Nona

    I think flowers are beautiful additions to photographs. I’m not eager enough to try to want to eat any though. Specially knowing that they might be poision.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. blondieaka Post author

      They are indeed Nona .however some are tempted especially if they love a photo enough to replicate ti exactly and therein lies the problem if the flower is not edible 🙂

      Like

  7. Doctor Jonathan

    For those who are “naturalists” at heart, this is an important post. I found the information very interesting. I never considered the possible dangers in food presentations. Thank you for EXPANDING my brain! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. blondieaka Post author

      You are welcome Doctor J and thank you for your kind comments. Unfortunately, as we know there are still many who go by looks alone and just don’t check what they are using 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Rex Trulove

    If a person knew what the plant was from which bella donna comes, they’d be crazy to try eating the flowers (or fruit). The alternate name is deadly nightshade, and that common name is in place for a reason. There are still a lot of people who aren’t aware that tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes are closely related to deadly nightshade, though. Still, this is a medicinal plant. It is from deadly nightshade that the heart medicine, atropine, comes from.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. blondieaka Post author

      I know that and so do you, Rex not everyone does and there are still people who just pick berries and use flowers because it is fashionable to adorn food and make it pretty and don’t realise what the consequences are. A bit like the mushroom still too many deaths from eating the wrong ones.

      Like

Comments are closed.