Begonia
Begonia x tuberhybrida · Edible flower
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The tuberous begonia (Begonia x tuberhybrida) is a showy garden flower whose waxy, succulent petals are edible — crisp and vividly citrus-tart, tasting almost like a sharp green apple or lemony sorrel. The petals brighten salads, drinks and plated desserts, but they are high in oxalic acid and so are used sparingly as a garnish rather than eaten by the handful.
Picking a good onedrag
Just opened, waxy and firmBrowning, translucent, shedding
Punnet freshEveryday bestPull petals from the base, rinse, scatter. The tartness is mostly oxalic acid, as in sorrel — an accent, not a salad green, and less if you are gout- or stone-prone. Petals only, never the tuber.
Where it came fromLabelled edible and unsprayed by someone who can tell you how they were grown
PetalsColour full, a rim or two paler where the petals lay against each other
Base of the bloomStub drying pale, petals loosening a little but all still attached
Smell at the punnetAlmost nothing at all — a begonia is barely scented, and that is normal