Flower Power: Take Mom Out to Eat Petals

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HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE about what to buy mom for Mother's Day? Take her to one of the three outposts of Sweetgreen (Georgetown, Dupont and Bethesda, see Sweetgreen.com for locations) for an innovative take on the classic bouquet: a flower-garnished salad.

"When I think of what every single son will get his mother for Mother's Day, it's flowers," says Nicolas Jammet, co-owner of the eco-minded salad and fro-yo purveyor. Jammet came up with the idea for the promotion with partners Nathaniel Ru and Jonathan Neman.

The $9 Mother's Day salad — which will be available only this Sunday (although similar versions may be ordered through the restaurant's catering service) — tosses together baby arugula, carrots, beets, green apples, goat cheese and cilantro with a lime-cilantro vinaigrette, and is topped with edible orchids, pansies and/or chive blossoms. The exact type of petals in the salad will depend on whichever flower is freshest this weekend.

If you close your eyes, you might not even notice you're munching on delicate florals, though. They just have a hint of flavor — Jammet describes the edible orchid as having a "slight peppery taste."

And although some blossoms are known for containing vitamins and nutrients (roses and rose hips, for instance, are high in vitamin C), don't expect any notable benefits from the smattering of petals.

"Even if [flowers] were nutritional powerhouses, you eat so little of them that I don't think it would make a very significant difference for your nutrition," explains Colleen Gerg, a Chevy Chase-based registered dietician in private practice (202-342-1560).

Still, eating petals isn't for naught nutritionally, especially since Sweetgreen's Mother's Day salad contains a healthy mix of colorful vegetables.

"I'm a big believer that what you eat should be aesthetically pleasing," Gerg says.