Many flowers that can be eaten grow in fields, forests and gardens. This guide examines whether daisies belong to the illustrious circle of edible plants. All important questions about the consumption of Bellis perennis receive a comprehensible and practical answer here.

Daisies are wonderful in salads

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Are daisies edible?
  3. 2 recipes
  4. What effect?
  5. Edible for pets?
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. the essentials in brief

    • Daisies are edible and healthy
    • Daisies can be eaten raw in salads or on bread or as a tea
    • The flowers can be pickled like capers
    • Daisy tea soothes coughs, the ointment helps with skin problems and the crushed root soothes muscle aches and rheumatism

    Can you eat daisies?

    Daisies are edible and packed with healthy vitamins. This is an interesting aspect of these distinctive wildflowers, which are ubiquitous in our regions and useful as swarming bee pasture. The following table summarizes which parts of a daisy are edible with tips for delicious consumption options:

    Edible Bellis parts Pleasure Variant I Pleasure variant II
    leaves freshly picked as a salad
    half open flowers raw edible food decoration
    buds raw pickled
    opened flowers side salad as tea
    seed roasted raw as a salad accompaniment
    root not eatable

    Explanations for consumption

    Young daisies taste best

    The leaves gather in a dense rosette of leaves close to the ground. Each leaf is composed of petiole and leaf blade, which are almost the same length. You don't have to separate the two components because you can eat the leaves with the stalk. The younger a daisy leaf, the tastier and healthier it is. Freshly picked and used as an ingredient in spring salads, Bellis leaves taste particularly good. In the modern kitchen, the vitamin-rich leaves spice up every green smoothie.

    Typical daisy flowers are characteristic of daisies. These are composed of up to 100 yellow tubular flowers, surrounded by white ray florets, arranged in two rows. Each flower is perched on a leafless stalk that is 5 to 20 centimeters long. You can eat the flowers raw at any stage of growth, with or without the stem. As tightly closed buds, they can also be pickled as a tasty substitute for capers. From March to June, half-open flowers inspire with a slightly nutty aroma. Fully open daisy flowers taste slightly pungent to bitter, which recommends consumption as a salad or tea.

    Withered flowers turn into indeciduous fruits with tiny seeds. You can eat the seeds raw or roast them in a pan as a nutty salad accompaniment. Those who don't shy away from the high effort of collecting will get a rich source of vitamins for autumn and winter with the seeds of daisies.

    tips

    Be careful when collecting daisies for consumption. Preferably pick the flowers in your own garden. Avoid locations on busy roads, in industrial areas and in close proximity to chemically sprayed fields. Daisies absorb pollutants through their roots, which you and your family eat along with the leaves, buds, and flowers.

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    Eating daisies - 2 recipes

    With the right recipe, you can outwit the pungent, bitter taste of daisies. One of the most popular variations of the preparation transforms daisy buds into a tasty substitute for capers. The following recipes may inspire your culinary imagination to enjoy star-quality daisies:

    Candied Daisies

    The foolproof recipe requires just three ingredients: 1 handful of daisies with stems, 100 ml water and 125 g sugar. Follow these steps to prepare:

    1. Boil water in a saucepan
    2. Stir in the sugar until all the crystals dissolve
    3. Remove the pot from the fire and let the syrup cool
    4. Meanwhile, wash the daisies under running water
    5. Grasp the lower end of the flower stalk
    6. Pull the daisies through the liquid

    Let the candied daisies dry on baking paper. It's quicker in the oven at 50 degrees. Sugared daisies add decorative value to any spring cake. Candied daisies as an edible decoration on the mug cake are ideal for children with a sweet tooth.

    Pickled buds as a substitute for capers

    The following daisy recipe is aimed at friends of spicy delicacies. Firmly closed flower buds act as a hearty substitute for capers with a wide range of uses. The ingredients required are: 2 cups of tightly sealed buds (stem removed), half a teaspoon of sea salt (or regular kitchen salt) and 125 milliliters of tarragon vinegar or herbal vinegar to taste. How to prepare:

    1. Wash the buds and pat dry with a kitchen towel
    2. place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt
    3. let stand 3 hours
    4. Boil the vinegar in the saucepan
    5. add salted buds and let simmer briefly
    6. Lift the buds out of the vinegar using a sieve and fill into a screw-top jar
    7. Bring the vinegar to the boil again and pour it over the fake capers

    Leave the capers in the closed screw-top jar for 3 to 4 days in a dark, cool place. Then strain the daisy buds again, boil the vinegar and pour everything into the cleaned, tightly closed screw-top jar. After 14 days, the false capers are ready to be eaten with a spicy, aromatic taste, for example with cold appetizers or as an ingredient in warm spaghetti sauce.

    What are the effects of daisies?

    Daisy tea relieves cough

    Daisies are permeated with valuable ingredients that are beneficial to human health. At least that's what folk medicine has believed for many generations. Although there is a lack of scientifically based evidence, the following effects of measure love cannot be denied:

    • as a tea: healing for coughs, fever, headaches and for blood purification
    • as an ointment: effective for age spots, freckles, swellings, hip pain and for wound healing
    • as a crushed root: soothing for sore muscles, rheumatism, dislocations and broken bones
    • as seeds boiled in wine: helpful for liver problems and stomach and intestinal problems

    The saponin bayogenin and various essential oils, tannins and bitter substances are primarily responsible for the traditional healing powers. In view of its numerous health-promoting effects, the daisy was named medicinal plant of the year in 2022.

    digression

    Daisy for good luck

    In popular belief, daisies are among the floral lucky charms. It is said that if you carry dried daisies with you that were picked between 12 and 1 p.m. on St. John's Day, luck is always on your side. Toothache, fever and cough are spared those who eat the first three daisies in spring.

    Can pets eat daisies?

    To pamper beloved pets with a varied diet, look to daisies. The fancy daisies can be found in every meadow and bloom non-stop from spring to autumn. However, caution is advised, because not every pet is allowed to eat daisies. The following table summarizes which animal species are allowed to snack on daisies and which are not:

    domestic animal edible?
    dog Yes
    cat Yes
    bearded dragon Yes
    rabbits, hares no
    Guinea pig no
    hamster no
    budgies conditional (flowers only)

    Veterinarians and pet experts are primarily concerned when rodents eat large amounts of daisies. Rabbits, hares, hamsters and guinea pigs react to the essential oils they contain with flatulence, vomiting and cramps. Budgies may nibble on the flowers when they are wilted or dried and served without the stem. Experienced experts have no objection to feeding bearded dragons with daisies, as long as the amounts are small. For dogs and cats, the wild flowers may also be noted on the green food list.

    frequently asked Questions

    Are daisies poisonous?

    Daisies should only be consumed in small amounts

    Daisies contain a combination of the saponin bayogenin with essential oils, mucilage, bitter substances and tannins. Consumption in small amounts is completely harmless for humans and animals. In fact, the young leaves in particular contain healthy vitamins and minerals. The seeds also serve as a very healthy source of vitamins in autumn and winter. Like all wild flowers and medicinal herbs, daisies are slightly toxic in large quantities and cause unpleasant symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

    Can my baby eat daisies?

    Once you're not paying attention and the daisy has disappeared into baby's mouth. That's nothing to worry about, because in small amounts, daisies are edible and safe for a baby, too. The information center against poisoning at the Bonn University Hospital draws attention to the fact that the flowers are slightly poisonous in large quantities. It contains saponins, essential oils and other substances that cause nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. If these symptoms appear after eating daisies, please consult the pediatrician immediately.

    Do geese eat daisies?

    When it comes to geese, fresh greens, grains, legumes and fruit are high on the menu. Poultry do not disdain aromatic daisies and their juicy leaves. In the semi-natural garden, geese are often kept as live lawnmowers because they will eat anything that grows on a lawn, including daisies.

    How many daisies can you eat?

    Although daisies are edible, they are not a culinary delight. The contained bitter, tannins and mucilage in combination with essential oils and saponins do not arouse the desire to stuff your stomach with daisies. In fact, the wildflowers are mildly poisonous in larger quantities. Limit consumption to 4 flowers and 10 leaves. Children eat no more than half the recommended adult portion of daisies.

    tips

    The best time to harvest daisies is April and May. Young leaves and closed buds promise a healthy, nutty-aromatic treat for the palate. The further the flowering period progresses, the higher the content of bitter, tannins and mucilage increases, which leaves an unpleasant taste on the tongue.

Category:

Herbs