Please don't eat the daisies — literally. Just as you would not eat wild berries or wild mushrooms until you know their source, always assume that no flower can be eaten until you know that it is edible. Many cooks garnish a plate with flowers because they look pretty. But you should only follow that practice if the flowers are edible. Inedible flowers can be upsetting to your stomach and some are poisonous.

The best source for edible flowers is right in your own supermarket, usually near the fresh herbs.

Choose flowers for cooking that are at their peak- fully opened and not wilting.

When you get edible flowers home from the supermarket, wrap them in wet paper towels and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Use within two days.

If buying fresh-cut edibles, keep them on the kitchen counter in a vase of water for a couple of days.

Farm markets and home growers are also good sources of edible flowers. Florists do not generally carry edible flowers since their flowers are usually sprayed with insecticide. Garden centers and nurseries that carry edible flowers should have them marked as such.

Even though edible flowers are organic and free of pesticides, wash as you would other organic vegetables or herb.