Using pansies to decorate dishes

For a number of years it was fashionable to use edible flowers in food preparation. Then, for a number of years it wasn't. Now it is fashionable again. The old saying "Everything old is new again" is very true, especially in this case.

I mention this today because it is almost time for those beautiful pansies to become leggy and succumbing to the warm weather. If you want to "decorate" a salad of use them to spread a cracker with cream cheese and then top with a pretty pansy, now is the time.

Do make sure of a couple of things. Be sure to wash the pansy well and don't eat the stem or leaves. For pansies, the centers are edible. This is not true for many flowers. It is usually best to only eat the petals but the "rules" can change from flower to flower.

If you used poison on your pansies, don't eat them. It is hard to wash them well enough if you have used a poison. It is best to only eat organic flowers and best if they are used to garnish food.

By the way -- pansies taste a little like wintergreen and they do make a lovely statement when topping salads or hors d'oeuvres.