Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Tuesday - May 07, 2013
From: Ennis, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Edible Plants, Wildflowers
Title: Can bluebonnets be made into jelly from Ennis TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Are Texas bluebonnet flowers okay for human consumption? I have seen recipes for wild violet jelly,so was wondering about making bluebonnet jelly from the bluebonnet blossoms if they are not poisonous.ANSWER:
From Prairieland Herbs, here is possibly the recipe for violet jelly to which you were referring.
We found that Mr. Smarty Plants had already answered questions on the toxicity Lupinus texensis (Texas bluebonnet) before. Just to bring you up to speed, here are those previous questions:
Here's what we are taking away from those answers:
1. The seeds seem to have the most toxicity, and since horses and cows will often graze on nearly everything, the fact that the somewhat unattractive seeds are sticking out there (as opposed to the blooms, which are long gone by then) are what gets nibbled.
2. You must be very sure no man-made poisons are on the flowers, such as pesticides for fire ants, or herbicides for weeds.
3. Beyond that, we could find no proof that they could not be eaten in a jelly, but frankly the violet jelly sounds like it's a whole lot of sugar and a little color from the flowers. If you have bluebonnets that you know could not have been sprayed with who-knows-what and don't mind denying the bees their treats, you could certainly go ahead and try it.
From the Image Gallery
More Wildflowers Questions
Trees and wildflowers for Matagorda County, Texas
January 06, 2012 - My family has a fish farm in Palacios, Matagorda county. I would like to plant trees and wild flowers on the property. Can you suggest the appropriate kind that can withstand the salt water around an...
view the full question and answer
Time for seeding wildflower seeds in Castle Rock CO
October 03, 2011 - I live in Castle Rock, CO. When is the best time to plant wildflower seed?
view the full question and answer
Native xeric grasses for Colorado
June 24, 2010 - Tired of mowing - replacing western exposure full sun lawn with native xeric grass. Please explain the pros and cons of Bouteloua Gracilis (Blue Grama) and Bouteloua Dactyloides Bella (Bella Blue Gra...
view the full question and answer
Cutting back annual wildflowers after going to seed
August 16, 2006 - I purchased some wildflower seeds from the center last year, planted them in Nov-Dec and they have done fairly well this year despite our fairly dry winter. My question is now that they are done bloom...
view the full question and answer
Earliest spring wildflowers from O'Fallon Mo.
December 10, 2013 - Which spring wildflower blooms first around the St. Louis area?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |