Many people already know that the flowers of many herbs and vegetables, but also of wild plants such as dandelions and daisies, are edible. But did you know that there are also edible chrysanthemums?
The Chrysanthemum coronarium is edible
Chrysanthemum coronarium: Leaves and flowers are edible
The edible chrysanthemum is also known under the trivial names edible chrysanthemum, lettuce chrysanthemum and gold flower or usurian flower, while botanists know it as Chrysanthemum coronarium. It is a fast-growing, annual ornamental and spice plant that can grow up to 90 centimeters high. The lettuce chrysanthemum belongs to the daisy family and originally comes from southern China.
Cultivation of lettuce chrysanthemum
The edible chrysanthemum prefers humus-rich, loose soil and a partially shaded to sunny location. The seeds germinate best at 15 °C and should be brought forward in March. Alternatively, sow directly outdoors in the months of August to September, whereby the seeds should be covered with soil about one centimeter thick. The plant can also be cultivated in pots.
- Use of the lettuce chrysanthemum
The chrysanthemum tastes intensely tart to bitter and is an excellent spice for Asian cuisine. If you don't like it that bitter, cut off the white ends of the flowers - these contain the most bitter substances. The young shoots and leaves can be used raw in salads and soups or steamed as vegetables. The white-yellow flowers, which bloom between July and September, are also edible, but only the petals. Once the plant flowers, leaves and shoots should no longer be used.
Harvest chrysanthemums
Use the parts of the plant as fresh as possible, but if this is not possible, the leaves and flowers can be kept in a bowl of water for a few hours (the latter also for days). Make sure you only harvest from specimens you have grown yourself or sold explicitly as edible plants - chrysanthemums in particular are often cultivated with pesticides and plenty of fertilizers. You can harvest as soon as the plant has reached a height of between 10 and 25 centimetres. Since new leaves and flowers keep coming, you don't need to be afraid of a vigorous pruning.
tips
The finely chopped, young leaves can be used as a flavorful substitute for parsley. The flowers, on the other hand, not only taste good in salads or as a decoration for sweet and savory dishes, but also fried in pancake batter.