Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Edible Flowers guide to Fuchsia along with all the Fuchsia containing recipes presented on this site, with 5 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Fuchsia as a major edible flower.



I have to admit that this is a totally new one to me... and I'm really surprised I did not know before that fuchsia flowers (at least the petals) are edible; and so are the berries (but few cultivars produce berries that are actually worth harvesting). The best of the berry producing fuchsias is the cultivar Fuchsia 'Berry'; which is available commercially, and can be grown for their fruit. Indeed, all parts of the fuchsia are edible (including the leaves). They are also non-toxic to canines, so fuchsias are great in a pet-friendly garden.

But back to the fuchsia plant and their flowers. Fuchsia (/ˈfjuːʃə/ FEW-shə) is a genus of flowering plants that consists mostly of shrubs or small trees with almost 110 species being recognized; the vast majority are native to South America, but a few occur north through Central America to Mexico, and also several from New Zealand to Tahiti. One species, F. magellanica, extends as far as the southern tip of South America, occurring on Tierra del Fuego in the cool temperate zone, but the majority are tropical or subtropical.

Most fuchsias are shrubs from 0.2 to 4m tall, but one New Zealand species, the kōtukutuku (F. excorticata), is unusual in the genus in being a tree, growing up to 12–15m tall. Fuchsia leaves are opposite or in whorls of three to five, simple lanceolate, and usually have serrated margins (entire in some species), 1–25 cm long, and can be either deciduous or evergreen, depending on the species.

The flowers are very decorative; they have a pendulous teardrop shape and are displayed in profusion throughout the summer and autumn, and all year in tropical species. They have four long, slender sepals and four shorter, broader petals; in many species, the sepals are bright red and the petals purple (colours that attract the hummingbirds that pollinate them), but the colours can vary from white to dark red, purple-blue, and orange. A few have yellowish tones. The ovary is inferior.

The fruit is a small (5–25 mm) dark reddish green, deep red, or deep purple berry, containing numerous very small seeds. The fruit of the berry of F. splendens is reportedly among the best-tasting. Its flavour is reminiscent of citrus and black pepper, and it can be made into jam. The fruits of some other fuchsias are flavourless or leave a bad aftertaste.

Fuchsias are popular garden shrubs, and once planted can live for years with a minimal amount of care. The British Fuchsia Society[18] maintains a list of hardy fuchsias that have been proven to survive a number of winters throughout Britain and to be back in flower each year by July. Enthusiasts report that hundreds and even thousands of hybrids survive and prosper throughout Britain. In the United States, the Northwest Fuchsia Society maintains an extensive list of fuchsias that have proven hardy in members' gardens in the Pacific Northwest over at least three winters.

Fuchsia flowers and flower buds can be used raw in salads, as garnishes for cakes, chocolates and desserts. They are also excellent for colouring alcohols, as in making fuchsia vodka or gin. They're also spectacular when candied. They can also be used anywhere marigold petals or nasturtiums are used.

Where I grew up, fuchsia trees had grown feral from many of the abandoned cottages up on the mountains, so I'm claiming fuchsia not just as an urban or garden foraged food but also as a wild food.