# Eating Orchids (Dendrobium)



## Marco (Aug 29, 2011)

So this past weekend I was able to elude hurricane Irene by attending my girlfriend's friend's wedding. In my half drunken stupor, to keep myself entertained, I was able to coerce my GF and her friend, which was visiting from the Philippines, to eat some Dendrobium's that was used to garnish our salads. After eating about 3 flowers I was able to get them to sample it as well. My GF is on the right.



























After the whole ordeal, evidenced by their facial expressions, it's safe to say that they didn't like it. But they were able to hold it down.


----------



## JeanLux (Aug 30, 2011)

How are they looking right now? Did they survive!  ? Jean


----------



## Eric Muehlbauer (Aug 30, 2011)

Dendrobium flowers are sold in my local market in the produce section. I've also gotten them in restaurants with some desserts. I've eaten them..they are actually very slightly spicy, and have a nice texture...but are otherwise totally unremarkable. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat them.


----------



## paphioboy (Aug 30, 2011)

I find them slightly sourish, but it is the texture I don't quite like. Slimy..  LOL


----------



## poozcard (Aug 30, 2011)

Don't you think it is too dangerous to eat?
You can imagine how much pesticide has been used.


----------



## NYEric (Aug 30, 2011)

Marco got married!? Congrats! :crazy:


----------



## Candace (Aug 30, 2011)

poozcard said:


> Don't you think it is too dangerous to eat?
> You can imagine how much pesticide has been used.



That would worry me too. I would suspect there are very few "organic" dendrobium growers. Systemic pesticides in commercial g.h's are the norm. I think I'd pass unless I knew for sure how and where it was grown.


----------



## NYEric (Aug 30, 2011)

really!? what do you think is in your food!?


----------



## Candace (Aug 30, 2011)

NYEric said:


> really!? what do you think is in your food!?



Not systemic pesticides, Eric.


----------



## Ernie (Aug 30, 2011)

QTs.


----------



## NYEric (Aug 30, 2011)

Candace said:


> Not systemic pesticides, Eric.


If you eat meat or fruits and veggies from the supermarket, you are consuming enough chemicals per month, hormones, fertilizers, insecticides, protectants, etc, to actually have a detectable weight! Trust me on this one!


----------



## Candace (Aug 30, 2011)

NYEric said:


> If you eat meat or fruits and veggies from the supermarket, you are consuming enough chemicals per month, hormones, fertilizers, insecticides, protectants, etc, to actually have a detectable weight! Trust me on this one!



Not to get into it with you, but we grow a good percentage of our own veggies and fruit and eat organic otherwise. Similarly, the meat we eat is carefully screened. There are those of us who actually monitor and care what we put in our mouths.


----------



## Marco (Aug 30, 2011)

Well safe to say I'm still alive. So I think they were ok. Also, this wasn't an everyday thing. I just wanted to prove a point that they were edible. 

Eric - No marriage...not yet at least. I have a long ways to go.

Jean - We are all safe and sound. I was more so worried about Irene that than a couple of dends we ate.


----------



## NYEric (Aug 30, 2011)

Candace said:


> Not to get into it with you, but we grow a good percentage of our own veggies and fruit and eat organic otherwise. Similarly, the meat we eat is carefully screened. There are those of us who actually monitor and care what we put in our mouths.



OK, fair enough. My motto is "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" -NYEric AKA the Toxic Avenger


----------



## Eric Muehlbauer (Aug 30, 2011)

While agree that I do not trust dendrobium flowers, assuming that the pesticide situation would be bad, keep in mind...nobody is eating a dendrobium salad. These things end up as decorations on a plate. While I have eaten them, I have not eaten more than a bite. While I don't live in fear of potential pesticides, I do eat organic when possible (although my reasons for eating organic are more environmental than health oriented), certainly eat my own produce (last September's tornado/microburst has enabled me to finally eat cucumbers and tomatoes again), my taste of dendrobium inspired no fears. But as I said, it was a taste. No meals here!


----------



## cnycharles (Aug 30, 2011)

i've read that in australia, that kangaroos will come running (well, bouncing) if they hear chainsaws and trees falling; after a few hours there are only roots left of dendrobiums. careful eating some orchids, they can have emetic properties! (think exlax)


----------



## Eric Muehlbauer (Aug 31, 2011)

Well, I could say "I don't give a ****!", but if it has those properties, I think I would!


----------



## Lanmark (Aug 31, 2011)

Many Dendrobiums are grown organically today for the specific purpose of producing edible flowers (pollinia removed) for use in salads and as garnishments for desserts and other dishes. They are a commercial food crop.


----------



## hchan (Aug 31, 2011)

I don't know about dendrobiums, but extrafloral nectar in general is nice though. I like to eat it from my cymbidium in the office, have to do it when no-one is looking though, so they don't think I'm weird...


----------



## NYEric (Aug 31, 2011)

Shhhh, the people here who don't know will give you a hard time!


----------



## tocarmar (Aug 31, 2011)

All orchid flowers are edible. But you do have to be careful where they are bought. 
My local grocery store carries the dendros for eating!!! I don't go out of my way for them, the ones that I flower here after dried I give to the hermit crabs & they love them..


----------



## paphioboy (Aug 31, 2011)

hchan said:


> I don't know about dendrobiums, but extrafloral nectar in general is nice though. I like to eat it from my cymbidium in the office, have to do it when no-one is looking though, so they don't think I'm weird...



Weirdo flower licker alert! :crazy:


----------



## Eric Muehlbauer (Aug 31, 2011)

All orchids are edible....even Oncidium cebolleta? At least you'll enjoy eating them!


----------



## Lanmark (Sep 1, 2011)

Eric Muehlbauer said:


> All orchids are edible....even Oncidium cebolleta? At least you'll enjoy eating them!



Psychoactive? :crazy:


----------



## Kavanaru (Sep 1, 2011)

Lanmark said:


> Psychoactive? :crazy:



but edible! oke:

(if I would have known that when I was a teenager, probably they wouldn't have been that many of them growing on the trees at our farm :evil


----------



## Marco (Sep 1, 2011)

tocarmar said:


> All orchid flowers are edible.



How about bulbo. phalaenopsis ?? oke:

I would pay to see to someone give that flower a nibble.


----------



## Eric Muehlbauer (Sep 1, 2011)

O. ceboleta is supposed to be hallucinogenic. And I gave mine away..............(Then again, I have 2 4' high Trichocereus pacahanoi cacti!)


----------



## Pete (Sep 2, 2011)

poozcard said:


> Don't you think it is too dangerous to eat?
> You can imagine how much pesticide has been used.



garunteed! i always think that! i hate getting dendrobium flowers as garnishs on my plate (as they do it all the time here)... i know what goes into growing those cut flower dendros and its a hell of a lot of fungicide and insecticide. and no amount of gentle rinsing of the flowers makes me even want them on my plate.


----------



## valenzino (Sep 2, 2011)

I tried this once:
D.purpureum,in right conditions can produce heavy ammount of extrafloral nectar.Once I have an alba one in flower.The flowers were fuuul of nectar all around.I cutted the spike,poured the whole spike with flour and little bit salt,and fried them...result was a veeery nice "frittella" like ball with a contrasting "bitter sweet" taste.I still alive and have digested them very fast...obviously were grown really bio...I nearly never use chemicals.


----------



## NYEric (Sep 2, 2011)

_"Better living through Chemistry"_ - Dupont :evil:


----------

