Do not eat flowers picked from the side of the road. They can be contaminated with pesticides or car emissions. Remove pistils and stamens from flowers before eating. Eat only the petals. There can be many varieties of one type of flower.
Varieties can have different flavors.
Introduce flowers into your diet one variety at a time in small quantities. The Master Gardener Idea Garden has a collection of edible flowers. Edible Flowers from Garden to Palate by Cathy Wilkinson Barash and Flowers in the Kitchen by Susan Belsinger. You can also contact our office for more information and recipes using edible flowers.