The realm of culinary arts embodies the beauty of details, and what better than using beautiful flowers to give that finishing touch? Believe it or not, this practice isn’t just a modern trend but a tradition that traces back centuries, even to medieval times!
The Blooming of Edible Garden Japan
Ryo Ozawa, the founder of Edible Garden Japan, aspired to make the experience of delicious flowers a moving culture beyond decoration. With that ambition, he set up this cultivation business to specialize in sustainable and edible flowers that were 100% pesticide-free back in 2017. At the start of his journey, he took on the challenge of developing these “delicious and edible” flowers and personally oversaw the cultivation of the world’s first edible rose, The Nobel Rose, Edible Garden Japan’s novelty highly fragrant rose that grows all year round in an enclosed plant factory.
Modern Problems Require Modern Solutions
Their unique method of flower cultivation in a plant lab allows Edible Garden Japan to grow fresh, nom-able flowers not just all year round but also maintain freshness for up to a whole week. The enclosed plant lab helps promote and conserve biodiversity and environmental sustainability and reduces water usage by more than 95% compared to conventional farming methods. The absence of insect-repellant makes their flowers so much more vibrant and fragrant, and this sterile environment allows chefs, patissiers, and bartenders who use them in their cooking and baking the freedom of not washing them before use.
Flower Selection: More is Always More
Edible Garden Japan offers an extensive selection of 80 types of fresh, edible whole flowers and petals. This range includes a wide variety of roses, such as the Nobel Roses mentioned above. Additionally, there are the Nico Roses, known for their loose petals, and the Yokota Roses, a rare breed prized for their strong and sweet fragrance.
Besides roses, there is also a wide selection of other flowers such as snapdragons, violas, marigolds, three and four leaf clovers and many more with vast color choices to choose from too! Their AYUMI edible flower range boasts more than 10 varieties plus they are cultivated in plant factories set up at welfare facilities to support the disabled community.
Other than fresh flowers , they also offer dried and pressed flowers of a similarly wide variety for you to pick. Edible Garden Japan’s OSHIBANA range specializes in decorative dried edible flowers that can be stored for up to one whole year. These flowers are all collected by hand, hand-pressed when fresh and then dried. These little beauties are almost odorless and tasteless, hence are perfect for decorative purposes and will not interfere with the taste of food.
They also offer specially-made Sparkling Rose Waters, without any additional artificial coloring and fragrance, made with only pure rose extracts and a tinge of organic lemon juice that intertwines together to give a mellow scent and create a very attractive and transparent deep red color. The Rose Water is slightly carbonated and has only a slight amount of sugar made from beets.
Promotes Versatility and Creativity in Culinary Menus
Commonly used in desserts and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, edible flowers add a pretty tinge of color and an exquisite pop of taste and are aesthetically pleasing. From famous dessert cakes, tarts, chocolates and cookies, Edible Garden Japan’s flowers are also exceptionally suited to homemade smoothies, jams and puree. They are great taste enhancers for sundaes, teas and cocktails. With these flowers being so versatile, the sky is your limit when it comes to the creativity and imagination of incorporating them into your curated menu, offering a fusion of color and flavor that transcends traditional gastronomy. That is why they are the perfect choice for fine dining chefs and Michelin-star restaurants.
As beautiful and professional as it makes the plating of any dish a work of art in the culinary world, the combination and contrast of colors plus the special and distinct taste and flavor that Edible Garden Japan’s flowers bring to the table, adds in the finishing touches. Not just pleasant to the eyes, but also satisfaction to the tastebuds.
If you are interested and eager to get your hands on some of these fresh and versatile edible flowers that Edible Garden Japan offers, head to our SECAI MARCHE Farm-Direct platform Buyer’s Page to place your orders. If you do not have a registered account with us, please drop us an email or a message, and one of our designated sales representatives will contact you promptly.
