Cornflower

Centaurea cyanus · Edible flower

40 pairings

The cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), also called bachelor's button, is a slender annual of the daisy family famous for its intense, almost electric blue flower heads. Once a common weed of European grain fields, it is now grown as a garden ornamental and as an edible flower whose mild, faintly clove-sweet petals are scattered over salads and plates and dried into colourful tea and seasoning blends.

Picking a good onedrag

Just opened, blue at full pitchFaded, floppy, rusting at the fringe

Punnet freshPull the fringed ray florets off the scaly green base and scatter them raw over salad, soft cheese or a finished plate. Base, stem and leaf stay behind.Everyday best

Where it came fromA grower who sells it to be eaten, unsprayed

The blueColour full, a few outer florets starting to pale

The head in the handOpen and full, a little slower to spring back

The scaly baseBase green, scales dry and a shade paler at the tips

Smell at the headQuiet and green, close to nothing

What to look for, from just opened, blue at full pitch to faded, floppy, rusting at the fringe.

Preparing