Edible flowers: discover and enjoy them

Imagine for a moment little pansy flowers on a pastry, flower petals in a homemade focaccia and a beautiful summer salad full of colorful edible flowers… Your eyes light up and your stomach might rumbling. Well, that’s normal! Because we eat with our eyes too, edible flowers are the perfect finishing touch to complete any recipe.

They’ll make your next dish so appealing, both to the taste and appearance.

Where to find edible flowers?

At your local public market ! Edible flowers can be found at several vendors in Montreal Public Markets. Some of them are even specialists in this field and can be help you choose the perfect variety for your needs.

At the Fleurs et Feuilles Gourmandes stall in the Atwater Market, you’ll find a wide range of edible flowers and plants, along with excellent advice. Mélanie Massicotte, the founder and owner of the farm, is a specialist in the matter. She was even named as a Bold Farmer at this year’s Gala de Reconnaissance des Agricultrices de la Montérégie Est. You don’t want to miss her next workshop on edible flowers, to help you recognize, cultivate and use them to their full potential ! Follow her on facebook to know when will be the next date.

At the Jean-Talon Market, Binette & Filles offers a mix of 17 edible flowers adapted to our region, allowing you to plan edible flower in large quantities.

The businesses in our daily locations are also exploring the production of edible flowers. Les Herbes Chouettes, la Brouette Maraîchère, Sécheurs Cueilleurs at Jean-Talon and Maisonneuve Markets all offer some form of edible flowers !

You can also grow your own edible flowers. Various horticultural producers are available to answer all your questions and help you choose the most appropriate varieties for your space, whether it’s on a balcony or in the ground.

A gourmet event at the Jean-Talon Market to showcase edible flowers

On June 8th and 9th, Jean-Talon Market will host 9 pastry chefs for a unique gastronomic event featuring edible flowers and plants: the Grand Brunch des Pâtissiers. During this event, participants will enjoy a delicious 6-course menu featuring flowers such as dandelion, lemon balm, rose and elderflower. For the invited pastry chefs, flowers are the perfect ingredient to elevate their creations, both in flavor and elegance.

Our invited pastry chefs’ favorite flowers!

Lilac : The lilac holds a special place in the hearts of the Nanana team – for them, this flower evokes memories of childhood. Since desserts are often associated to our early years, for these creative pastry chefs there’s no better tool than lilac to take us back to those years of freedom and innocence.

Tagetes, geranium and elderflower: Christian Campos of Farine et Cacao can’t bring himself to choose just one flower, so he opts for an unbeatable trio. Tagetes, also known as marigolds, add a delicate touch, while geranium, with its aromas of rose, lemon and hazelnut, adds a touch of freshness.

Borage: For Zébulon from the Zébulon patisserie, there's no flower that rivals borage. It's true, it's so cute! As well as being aesthetically pleasing and delicious with its cucumber flavour, borage is also an excellent honey flower for pollinators.

Oxalis and nasturtium: The Ratafia team can't overlook oxalis and nasturtium. And the good news is that they're both relatively easy to grow! Nasturtium, with its orange flowers, will bloom all summer long and can enhance your dishes with its slightly spicy flavour, similar to that of watercress.

Melilot: For Natacha Lehmann of Pâtisserie Clémentine and Aurélien Kerzerho of Pâtisserie Mélilot, melilot is the clear winner! According to them, the aroma of this wild flower goes well with a multitude of flavours, especially fruit. Perhaps this is due to its characteristic vanilla flavour. Natacha adds that the taste is a little reminiscent of tonka beans.

The Montreal Public Markets hope you enjoy exploring the world of edible flowers, whether by browsing our stalls or taking part in this weekend's Grand Brunch des Pâtissiers !