Basil Stock Photo

If you`ve been growing basil plants, you may already know that it`s a good idea to prune the flowers off of the plants as soon as they appear. Leaving the flowers on slows the production of leaves, and many gardeners find that it also reduces the quality or flavor of the leaves. So if you`re growing basil plants for the leaves, by all means prune the flowers right away. The questions is, what can you do with the flowers? Advertisement Advertisement Or maybe a better question is, what can`t you do with the flowers? Eat `em! Basil flowers are perfectly edible. In terms of fragrance and flavor, the flowers are similar, if milder, than than the leaves. Sometimes flowers can be somewhat bitter, so test them first. When sprinkled over a salad, basil flowers impart a mild basil flavor and add a decorative touch. They also make a great garnish for anything that pairs well with basil, such as pasta, cheese or fresh fruit, or plates of meat or vegetables. Or, you can simply eat them with the gardner`s preferred method: pinch them off and pop them in your mouth.