Edible Flowers that are used as a garnish or as an integral part of a dish, such as a salad. Not all flowers are edible. Those that are must usually be purchased from specialty produce markets or supermarkets that carry gourmet produce. They can be stored, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator up to a week. Flowers that have been sprayed with pesticides (such as those found at florists') should never be eaten. The culinary use of flowers dates back thousands of years with the first recorded mention being in 140 B.C. Many different cultures have incorporated flowers into their traditional foods.