Eastern redbud flowers make for a pretty, and healthy, salad garnish.

Eastern redbuds add not only beauty to spring landscapes but a dash of color to a spring salad as well. The pink flowers of one of Missouri's native trees are edible and were consumed in Native American diets.

The trees have been used as landscaping ornamental trees since the 1600s.

Before picking the flowers, make sure you are selecting from trees that haven't been exposed to any chemical sprays. Some landowners will spray nearby fruit trees in spring and you don't want to be consuming any residual spray.

What do they taste like? Eastern redbud flowers have a very clean taste, similar to a lettuce.

Charlotte