Creative Colorful & Edible Flower Salad Ideas
Ideas for creating beautiful salads with colorful vegetables, fruits, and edible flowers.
Food is simply to sustain us, to give us fuel and keep our bodies functioning and healthy. However in our modern time, food is so much more. The beauty, the smell, the flavor, the texture, all the ways that satisfy our senses...this is the fun part of food.
Additionally, creating beautiful dishes helps make eating healthy more exciting. The same old salad can get a little boring after a while, but if you add interesting elements, a salad can be brought to life. This post will not be providing a specific recipe, but is going to focus on a few ways to make a visually appealing salad.
How to Put Together a Colorful Edible Flower Salad
First let's talk about edible flowers. Perhaps I've been watching too many Lost Kitchen episodes, but adding edible flowers is a wonderful touch! And these flowers are easy to grow! If you don't have a garden, you can grow them in pots. Just look for mixed edible flower seeds, plant them in the spring, and a variety will be ready by late summer. The packet I purchased this summer included:
Nasturtium
Calendula
Viola (similar to pansies)
Chamomile
Bachelor Button
Borage
These are just some of the edible flowers that add a punch of color to any salad.
*Please ensure that the flowers you are eating are edible, as non-edibles flowers can cause illness.
Choosing a Cool Color Scheme
There are multiple creative ways to put together a lovely and unique edible flower salad. One way is think about the color wheel. A salad can be created with a cool color theme that uses blue, purple, and green fruits and vegetables. Options that fit this color scheme include:
Beets
Red Onion
Purple Tomatoes
Purple Carrots
Purple Cauliflower
Peas
Green Pepper
Blackberries
Figs
Plums
Piecing together elements such as these, with the addition of cool colored flowers, creates an aesthetically appetizing salad. You can combine whatever elements you choose within the color palette.
Choosing a Warm Color Scheme
If you prefer a salad that includes red, yellows, and oranges, a warm color scheme is the direction you'll want to go. Ingredients ideas for a warm colored salad include:
Carrots
Golden Beets
Red Tomatoes
Yellow Tomatoes
Radishes
Yellow or Orange Peppers
Strawberries
Raspberries
Oranges
Peaches
And of course...warm colored edible flowers!
Additionally, with each of these salads you can include fruits and vegetables that are primarily neutral, such as cucumbers, kohlrabi, and zucchini.
There are many other fun ways to utilize color. You can choose opposites on the color wheel--blue and orange, red and green, or purple and yellow. Or choose a color scheme representing a particular holiday or flag. There are a lot of creative ideas that can be combined into one salad.
And if you like a wide mix of color, combine it all into one edible flower salad. It is appeasing to the eye and the tastebuds!
Slicing and Dicing
Take note that the way fruits and vegetables are cut can also make a difference with the overall appearance. Big chunky pieces are not always visually interesting. Consider the following to create more visual interest.
Thin slices:
beets
radishes
red onions
Thin peels:
carrots
cucumbers
zucchini
Matchstick cuts:
apples
beets
zucchini
kohlrabi
These shapes can contribute to creating a striking salad! Unless you want to get exceptionally fancy and creative with your cuts, these are easy and basic shapes that will improve the look.
Arrangement
A final item to note is the arrangement of a salad. Using a large platter or shallow bowl is a nice way to spread out your salad, making all the individual components visible. Start with the lettuce, then layer the vegetables or fruits over the lettuce. Create balance by spreading out the elements and colors evenly. Adding nuts can provide more interest and of course taste! Finally, evenly tuck in edible flowers wherever possible around the salad.
These are some simple, tangible ways to spruce up your salads. Choose a dressing and pour into a small pitcher for serving. Be creative and have fun with the process. Enjoy!