Which flowers and plants are both ornamental and edible?

Food is the first necessity of the people. Besides eating meat, eating flowers, plants and grasses also has a history of two thousand years. The ancients said that eating flowers is a poetic and picturesque affair, and it is also a representative of beauty that is a feast for the eyes. So, which flowers on the flower market can be enjoyed both visually and eaten?

Wintersweet

Wintersweet can be called the star of winter and spring. At this time, their flowers hang all over the branches, and the scenery is praised as superb when viewed from afar, while the floral fragrance fills the nose.

In addition, after being enjoyed as an ornamental, its flowers, roots and fruits can all be eaten, and all have medicinal value. According to dietary records, after being used as medicine, it has effects such as relieving summer heat and promoting fluid production, stimulating the appetite and relieving depression, and detoxifying and relieving cough. For home cooking, fresh flowers can also be picked, deep-fried in oil until cooked, or stewed with tofu, stewed with fish head, or steeped in water to drink, which can increase appetite, clear heat and detoxify, and relieve dizziness.

Magnolia

Magnolia is also called spring-welcoming flower, white magnolia, etc. After the petals open, they are white as jade, and their form is elegant like congealed fat. Not only that, magnolia also gives off a light and elegant fragrance that is intoxicating. Its petals feel relatively thick and fleshy to the touch, and can be used to make tea or made into various foods.

From a dietary perspective, magnolia contains volatile oil, vitamins, amino acids, etc., and has the effect of inhibiting skin fungi. Some people among the folk pick some fresh petals, deep-fry them in oil, and some chop them and steam them into cakes to eat.

Osmanthus

Osmanthus, also called muxi, fills the air with its intoxicating fragrance, and is one of the plants that must be grown in autumn and spring. The flower colors are usually golden or orange, and when placed at home it easily becomes a focal point. It is not only beautiful; the ancients recorded as early as long ago that it has medicinal and edible value. Long-term drinking of wine brewed with osmanthus can prolong life, strengthen the spleen and tonify deficiency, and beautify the face. Among the desserts made for the emperor in the imperial kitchen were glutinous rice osmanthus pastry, osmanthus huanglin pastry, osmanthus cake, osmanthus milk tofu, etc.

In addition, there is also a folk way of eating it by drying the flowers and steeping them in water to drink, which has the effects of resolving phlegm and relieving cough, and nourishing and beautifying the face. How to grow it? The suitable temperature is 15-28°C. It likes fertile, slightly acidic soil. In hot summer, pay attention to opening windows frequently and ventilating more. Do not water too frequently; just follow the principle of keeping the potting soil moist, and avoid long-term water accumulation in the pot.