Arugula is a leaf vegetable that provides a fresh, tart and bitter taste for various dishes.
Can you eat arugula flowers? Yes, you can eat arugula flowers. Arugula flowers are edible, and many people enjoy them for their flavor as well as for their beauty in the garden.
If you grow arugula, take advantage of their edibility and have fun adding them to your table and meals for some home-grown goodness. They are healthy, nutritious, and delicious!
What Do Arugula Flowers Taste Like?
Arugula flowers have a strong flavor, and they are very peppery. If you are familiar with eating arugula leaves (sometimes known as rocket because of the speed at which it grows), you will already know the taste – and the flowers have as strong a flavor as the leaves.
Some people also describe the flavor as nutty, and enjoy this pairing with other, milder leaves or flowers. Not everyone likes the taste of arugula, but many people thoroughly enjoy it.
If you are fond of strong greens, you’ll love these flowers. They make a delicious accompaniment to many kinds of foods, and they are very versatile.
Best of all, they bring a beautiful elegance to the table, whether you shred them into petals or provide them in their full flowery glory.
Arugula has vitamins A and C, and potassium in it, so it makes a healthy addition to any salad bar or meal.
What Dishes Can You Use Arugula Flowers In?
You can use the flowers in any dish that you might use the salad in, and they will work as a beautiful garnish, too. They are particularly popular in salads.
Combined with other edible flowers, such as nasturtiums, sorrel flowers, chives, cornflowers, elderflower, dandelions, and the many other tasty blooms you can eat, it’s easy to create a rainbow of petals to grace any table.
You can also use arugula flowers as a garnish for soups and stews; they will look very pretty floating on the top, and will add a nice, fresh, peppery kick to the meal. You can also top other meals with them. They would look pretty garnishing meats or pasta dishes, and are very versatile.
A lot of people particularly enjoy goat’s cheese with arugula, and fresh arugula flowers can be added as a topping to a pizza (do not add them before cooking, however; they will simply wilt and may burn and taste unpleasant).
Flowers are one of the rarer ingredients we bring to the table, so try using arugula flowers wherever you think they might work well – they will make your food look sophisticated and unusual, and they are a great way to wow your guests.
The flowers are usually pale yellow, cream, or near-white in color, but wild rocket (or wild arugula) can have bright yellow flowers. These are often smaller than the cultivated variety’s flowers, and the leaves tend to have a more distinct serration to them.
When Does Arugula Flower?
Arugula will flower in the late spring or early summer, and usually, the flavor of the plant will intensify around this time. You might notice an extra kick in the flavor, which some people find too much to enjoy. However, many people love the stronger taste and particularly like arugula around this time of year.
If you find it too much, you can pull the plant up and plant another one. Alternatively, collect the seed heads after the plant has finished flowering, and re-plant them. Arugula plants grow very quickly, so you won’t need to wait long before you can enjoy this delicious salad again.
To harvest the flowers, simply snip off the stems that hold them, and cut them onto your salad, stew, or other dish. You will often find that the plant produces more flowers as a result of having them cut, so this is a good idea if you want plenty of flowers to eat!
If the weather gets too hot for your plant, you may find that it bolts, so try to stand it in a cool, shady spot when temperatures increase. It does not thrive in hot weather, and is generally considered a cool weather green. Keeping it reasonably cool will help it to last longer and grow better.
What Other Parts of Arugula Can You Eat?
You can eat almost all parts of arugula. The roots, leaves, stems, and flowers are all edible, although few people bother to eat the roots as they are tricky to wash, and the rest of the plant is so delicious.
The leaves are the part that is most commonly eaten, and these have a spicy, hot flavor. Smaller leaves are milder, so if you want a less intense experience, harvest the leaves when they are young and enjoy them small. For a stronger flavor, take bigger leaves.
Arugula should be harvested regularly to prevent it from going to seed, but if you want to eat the flowers, you will need to allow these to develop. Let the plant grow its flower heads and wait for the petals to unfold before cutting them off to eat them.
If you want to use the roots, you will need to wash them thoroughly beforehand. You don’t want bits of grit in your foot. Try them raw, or slice them and add them to stews and soups. Just make sure you enjoy the flavor before doing so, and don’t use too much, or you might find that it overwhelms the dish!
The leaves of arugula are popular for making pesto as well, and can be used in salad dressings if you don’t want to use the arugula leaves or flowers in the salad (or, if you’re a die-hard fan, even if you do).
There’s no doubt that this is an extremely versatile plant, and it has earned its place on the table! Try using some of the flowers as well as the leaves, and add a flash of white elegance to your culinary creations.
Final Thoughts
Arugula flowers are not only edible, but delicious. You can certainly eat them, and many people say that they have as much flavor as the leaves do, making them a popular choice for many diners. If you enjoy the hot kick of arugula, try the flowers as well.