Flowers that can be used for culinary purposes are usually delicate but they can be saved for later use by drying them.

Steps

  1. 1
    Select edible flowers that will dry well. Such edible flowers include lavender, rose, hibiscus, violets, pansies/violas, nasturtiums, marigolds (calendula, French marigold), chamomile, Borage and chives. There are many more too––read up on edible flowers to find more choices.
  2. 2
    Wash the flowers. Rinse quickly under cold water and gently shake off any drops of water still present. Allow the flowers to dry thoroughly before going ahead with the drying process.
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  3. 3
    If you don't have a commercial dehydrator, use paper towel.
  4. 4
    Alternatively, use a commercial dehydrator. Follow the instructions provided with the dehydrator. Again, avoid overlapping the flowers while they're drying.
  5. 5
    If you have a lot of flowers and they have long stems, tie them together in a bunch. Hang them from somewhere to dry in the same manner that herbs are dried.
  6. 6
    Store the dried edible flowers with care. Before storing, ensure that the flowers are completely dry. Any moisture in them still will cause the growth of mildew and they'll have to be discarded.
  7. 7
    Use the dried edible flowers in recipes calling for edible flowers. Many of the flowers will be rehydrated with the addition of a little water while others can simply be added straight to jams, jellies and drinks for immediate use.
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Warnings

  • Know your flowers––only use flowers that you are absolutely certain are edible.
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Things You'll Need

  • Paper towel or commercial dehydrator
  • Hanging rack for long-stemmed flowers (optional)
  • Storage containers

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 33,051 times.
34 votes - 97%
Co-authors: 5
Updated: May 6, 2021
Views: 33,051
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