Dahlias - did you know you can eat them?

I started growing dahlias this year to eat.

Previously I had always been just a fruit and vegetable gardener.

But others in the family wanted flowers.

Early this year I found a middle way - to grow flowers that could be eaten.

Armed with James Wong's book 'Homegrown Revolution' I began to explore.

Fuchsias were my first stop on the edible flowers journey. They have grown profusely. Their berries are delicious.

Forget-me-nots, nasturtium and pansies followed.

Then late in the season came dahlias.

I remember my mum loved dahlias - but she never told me you could eat them.

James Wong did.

In fact Thompson & Morgan say of the dahlia :

All dahlia flowers and tubers are edible. The flavours and textures can vary greatly depending on the soil and conditions in which they were grown. Flavours range from water chestnut through to a spicy apple or even carrot.

Dahlias originated in Central America. 16th century Spanish explorers discovered them on the hillsides of Mexico.

Abbe Cavanilles (director of Real Madrid Botanical Garden) named the Dahlia after Anders Dahl, the Swedish botanist.

Dahlias were originally grown as a food crop for their edible tubers.

I haven't tried eating them yet - that is for another day.

According to the US food suppliers Speciality Produce

Dahlias are most commonly used for decorative purposes on cakes, tarts and pastries. Serve alongside cheese or desserts as a garnish. Remove the petals of the Dahlia and add them to grain or green salads to add a pop of color.

Their website lists seven restaurants across California who they supply with dahlias where you can try them including the Flying Pig Pub in Vista and Shakespeare's Corner Shoppe in San Diego.

Dahlias can also be used for dyeing.

In the mid 19th century a London newspaper offered £1 to the first breeder to produce a blue dahlia. So far that has never been achieved.

This is a freeform post. It is not the post I intended to write when I started to type this evening. But when I found these quite striking photos on my camera of the dahlias I was inspired to learn more about them and just started writing.

The photos were taken on Sunday evening. The setting sun was bright and low. The dark clouds behind were threatening rain. The sun went to sleep. The rain won the day.

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[images by @pennsif]