Bringing Your Food Design Up a Notch

I've always been a fan of edible flowers since I discovered them during a business trip to Los Angeles.  Since then, I've seen them pop up more and more at home, and not just in restaurants and catered events. My friends have ordered edible flower seeds on Amazon.com but I've only seen that "one kind" of edible flower - the colorful pansy. After stopping by the Fresh Origins booth at the 2016 StafChefs Congress last month, I got to see a whole variety of edible flowers including rose, lavender, dandelions, marigolds and micro-flowers. 

These are great for add that special accent to a dish. However, I've also seen flowers appear in ice cubes, which I think is a nice touch to a cocktail. 

The latest product line from Fresh Origins are these sugar crystals with an edible flower base. These crystal flavors are also a nice accent, perhaps on a dessert, or as they've shown me, can be added to glass rim to add to any cocktail. 

Fresh Origins told me there are two ways to buy their edible flowers. If you're part of the food industry and ordering in bulk, you can visit http://www.freshorigins.com/.

For home chefs like myself, we can purchase edible flowers here: http://www.gourmetsweetbotanicals.com/

And if you're looking for ideas on how to use edible flowers, check out the "Ideas for Edible Flowers" board on my Pinterest page!