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April 12, 2011 (Updated November 29, 2022)

Last night, I ate flowers for dinner.

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

35 comments
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Yep, you read that right! Last night, I ate flowers along with my dinner.

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Kale flowers, that is! Hehe… I know, I’m hilarious.

Have any of you guys tried kale flowers before? The Nutrition Coalition at my school has been holding farmers markets the past couple Mondays at school and I’ve been delighting in buying fresh greens, kale, bok choy, and swiss chard. Yesterday they were selling greens that came mixed with the pretty kale flowers!

The farmer assured me that they were edible, and sure enough, they are! I didn’t notice them taste like anything, really, beyond just lettuce-y. 🙂

I enjoyed some of the greens topped with a leftover farmers market swiss chard, zucchini, and pesto pasta dish that Matt whipped up last night.

Matt made the pesto himself in the food processor and it came out really well! He sautéed it with the swiss chard and zucchini and then added in the pasta once it was cooked. I loved the pesto with the swiss chard because it got all caught in the leaves so each bite was super flavor packed!

Swiss chard is so pretty 🙂

I love the colorful stems. Are they edible or super bitter like the stems on kale? I told Matt they were probably bitter and to cut them off, but I wasn’t really sure.

The other purchase that I made at the farmers market yesterday was some radishes!

I don’t think I’ve ever bought radishes before, so I figured what the hell! Always good to branch out. I like them on salads, but otherwise I have no idea what to do with them. Anyone have any good radish recipes? 🙂

p.s. Sorry for the small photos… I’ve been having majorly frustrating issues with Windows Live Writer ALL morning. I tried to publish this at 9 a.m. and kept getting “500 internal server error”… hours later finally just made all my photos tiny and posted using the actual Wordpress dashboard. Sigh. Anyone have any thoughts on what’s wrong? I’m hoping it’s magically fixed tomorrow 🙂

- anne
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35 comments
  • Katie @ Nourishing Flourishing
    April 12, 2011 · 2:09PM:
    At least the flowers brought some extra pizzazzy color to your meal ;)
    Reply
  • Julia April 12, 2011 · 2:09PM:
    the stems on swiss chard are delicious. i find the kale ones too tough and bitter like you write, but the swiss chard ones are perfect. I've never eaten them raw though--always sauteed. Maybe eating them raw would taste bad?
    Reply
    • Anne P
      April 12, 2011 · 2:10PM:
      Oh no way, really?? We sauteed them, too! Darn! Next time will eat the stems :)
      Reply
  • Jenny @ FItness Health and Food
    April 12, 2011 · 2:15PM:
    I'm so glad everything worked out in the end! it looks lovely :)
    Reply
  • Amy
    April 12, 2011 · 2:27PM:
    What Julie said: Chard stems are delicious when sauteed! The vibrant color is so beautiful, too. I just start them a bit earlier, since they need to cook longer than the leaves in order to get tender. One of my favorite meals is swiss chard (or other greens) sauteed with onions and mushrooms, topped with an over-easy or poached egg. In that case, I saute the stems with the onions and mushrooms and then add the leaves last. Super tasty!
    Reply
  • Kelly April 12, 2011 · 2:32PM:
    I love the stems of Swiss Chard! I usually separate the stem from the leaf and coat the stems in olive oil and sea salt and put them in the oven on a cookie sheet at 450 for about 10 minutes until they are crispy like french fries...I do this also with green beans and asparagus, which my husband loves! The leaves are great just sauteed, like you've been using them! Radishes became my new favorite food last year from my farmer whom I get my CSA basket from. He taught us last year that we should slice the radishes in "coins" and saute them in butter or olive oil until they are tender and a bit translucent and top with shaved Parmesan cheese. This method of cooking takes out a lot of the heat and bitterness that some radishes contain. On the other hand, if you ever see Watermelon Radishes at the farmer's market, definitely give those a try! They are super sweet and look like a watermelon. Pretty cool! Hope you enjoy!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      April 12, 2011 · 2:34PM:
      Awesome tips, thanks! :)
      Reply
  • adriane April 12, 2011 · 2:33PM:
    i put the swiss chard stems in before the leafy greens, usually about 5 minutes or so, since they take longer to cook.
    Reply
  • Erin @ The Grass Skirt
    April 12, 2011 · 2:38PM:
    You made a wrinkle in my brain today. This is the first I'm learning about kale flowers! They are kinda cute. :)
    Reply
  • Carrie
    April 12, 2011 · 2:39PM:
    Swiss chard is so, so delicious. I got a metric ton of it in my CSA share last year so I cooked it pretty much every way possible. One of my favorite things to make with it is swiss chard & egg tacos...just add the egg mixture once the chard is cooked, scramble it up quickly, add some grated cheese right at the end, roll it up in a tortilla and eat (with salsa and hot sauce, of course). Unreal! I love the idea of sauteeing it with zucchini and pesto and adding pasta! Yum! I'll have to try that with my metric ton this year. ;)
    Reply
  • Johanna B
    April 12, 2011 · 2:56PM:
    I wondered where your post was this morning. I was jonesin for my daily fix. Hope you get your photo problem taken care of.
    Reply
  • Courtney @ The Granola Chronicles
    April 12, 2011 · 2:58PM:
    I love that your campus hosts farmers markets - so fun!
    Reply
  • Lana
    April 12, 2011 · 3:19PM:
    What a pretty and colorful dinner! I totally want to try a kale flower! I will keep my eyes out for them now that I know they are a "thing"
    Reply
  • Christine @ Merf In Progress
    April 12, 2011 · 5:01PM:
    Okay, now I'm jonesin' for some sauteed swiss chard, stems and all!
    Reply
  • Natasha
    April 12, 2011 · 5:12PM:
    I love Swiss Chard, and we eat the steams-I don't find them bitter! I slice them up with a clove of garlic and saute for a few minutes in some EVOO, add in some thinly sliced red onion, cook for 3-4min then add the leaves(don't need as long). This combo is a great one!
    Reply
  • Abby April 12, 2011 · 5:24PM:
    That is so awesome that your campus has farmer's markets! :) I would be all over that!
    Reply
  • Christy April 12, 2011 · 6:30PM:
    Hi Anne! I was in Portland, OR two weekends ago and hit up the amazing farmer's market they have at Portland State's campus. While we were there, I stopped at this one food stand called Tastebud and ordered a hummus & radish sandwich. It was amazing! I had it on one of their wood-fire baked sesame bagels but I'm sure you could put it on any type of bread. It was so delicious. They served it open faced and sprinkled some coarse salt on top of the radishes...mmm...going to be a go to lunch for me now! Hope you enjoy!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      April 12, 2011 · 6:35PM:
      Yum! Sounds delish :)
      Reply
  • Michele April 12, 2011 · 7:22PM:
    My DH LOVES radishes so we grow them in our garden. Problem is they get hot fast because of the FL heat. So this year we started them about a month earlier than last year, so hopefully we will have not so hot radishes this year. I am hoping they are ready in the next couple of weeks. (They say only 21 days from seed to eat, but not for us, it is closer to 2 months! lol) No idea on the cooked version or recipes, we just eat them plain with salt on them. lol
    Reply
    • Anne P
      April 13, 2011 · 8:05AM:
      Aw, I wish I had a garden! But then I would also wish for a gardener... I have a total black thumb, haha.
      Reply
  • Renie April 12, 2011 · 7:39PM:
    Good job Matt. I love radishes. I have never eaten flowers but I have used them as a garnish. Delish looking salad.
    Reply
  • Emily
    April 12, 2011 · 7:40PM:
    Radish + hummus is my favorite radish recipe :) And I always eat chard stems. I don't find them bitter. Chard and mango make a delicious smoothie!
    Reply
  • VCK
    April 12, 2011 · 8:03PM:
    Spread some butter on a piece of chewy bread. Top with sliced radishes and a sprinkle of salt. Apparently this is a very French dish, and it's awesome.
    Reply
    • Anne P
      April 13, 2011 · 8:06AM:
      Ooo yeah very European-sounding! I think I had a sandwich similar to that over in Europe at some point!
      Reply
  • DHP April 12, 2011 · 9:35PM:
    Looks very tasty!
    Reply
  • Jumanah @ Healthy Living in the Middle East
    April 13, 2011 · 4:59AM:
    I LOVE putting radish on my salads! And dipping them in hummus or salsa!
    Reply
  • Errign
    April 13, 2011 · 7:41AM:
    I do not have any good radish recipes because they are not my jam in any way shape or form. My dad eats them though- just plain as snacks! I am jealous of your farmer's market & I can't wait until the fresh veg starts popping up in New England!
    Reply
  • Katherine April 13, 2011 · 9:02AM:
    I personally think the stems are the best part! They don't get bitter- they actually get a little sweet!
    Reply
  • Heather @ girlyeverafter.com
    April 13, 2011 · 9:51AM:
    We are members of a farmers co-op and they have tons of leafy greens so swiss chard and kale became a staple in our house. It took me a while to get used to cooking with them, but now i'm obsessed!
    Reply
  • Sarah April 13, 2011 · 10:14AM:
    Saw this recipe for glazed radishes, I am excited to try! http://orangette.blogspot.com/2011/04/have-your-way.html
    Reply
  • PR_Cal
    April 13, 2011 · 11:39AM:
    If you don't like the bitterness of radishes raw, try roasting them. I did that last week, after drizzling a bit of oil and some sea salt on top...they were delicious!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      April 13, 2011 · 1:30PM:
      Yum sounds tasty!
      Reply
  • Carolyn April 13, 2011 · 1:37PM:
    Where is the Farmer's Market on campus on Monday? I'm an undergrad here at UNC, and would love to grab some local veggies!!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      April 13, 2011 · 1:39PM:
      Unfortunately it was just for three weeks and the last one was this week! It was in the atrium of the Public Health building.
      Reply
  • Mike
    April 14, 2011 · 5:48PM:
    What a colorful garnish! I have never had Kale Flowers before but next time I head to the farmers market I will look for them. Booked marked this page to try this recipe. ------------- Thanks and Regards Mike
    Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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