_Alex Guarnaschelli is an Iron Chef, Food Network celebrity chef, author of _Old-School Comfort Food_ and the executive chef at New York City’s Butter restaurants. Read her PEOPLE.com blog

every Tuesday to get her professional cooking tips, family-favorite recipes and personal stories of working in front of the camera and behind the kitchen doors. Follow her on Twitter at

@guarnaschelli._ I love summertime at the market because I finally see tufts of greens and herbs poking from in between the crates of apples, turnips and celery root that have adorned the

tables for what always seems like an eternal winter. There are a number of farms at The Union Square Market in N.Y.C. that have incredible greens and flowers. I am lucky they don’t accept

Though edible flowers are beautiful and, in some cases, have a wonderful flavor, it’s difficult to know what to buy and what to use it for! RELATED: Add Alex’s Simple Vegetable Side Dishes

to Tonight’s Dinner Here are some of my suggestions: NASTURTIUM Their yellow and orange colors are stunning. The buds are delicious dropped into a classic pickling liquid and used as a

substitute for capers. I like the petals and the flowers a lot. Tear a few petals into a mixed green salad. They have a peppery flavor. Try crushing a few with a mortar and pestle and mixing

it with a few basil leaves for sweetness. Blend in some olive oil and some fresh lemon juice for an interesting salad dressing. I have also mixed some flowers in with a small amount of soft

butter, ground sea salt and pepper and served it with fresh bread. One super fancy customer at Butter also loves them dipped whole in a light batter and fried in low temperature oil (about

325°F) until lightly crisped. CHIVE FLOWERS Chives grow like grass, and their pink-purple flowers are delicious. Unlike nasturtiums, I wouldn’t eat the entire flower in one bite. Flake the

petals into a salad or into a stir-fry at the last minute for a pleasant and mild onion flavor. I have also broken a few of the flowers and submerged them in olive oil and kept them in the

fridge to stir into a vinaigrette to drizzle over tomato slices. PEA BLOSSOMS They are usually white but are also found in other pale color grades. Pop one in your mouth and enjoy a pure

taste unlike any other. I never find it necessary to cook these flowers. Enjoy them on top of pea soup for a stunning garnish that enriches the flavor. Make a salad of raw sliced or blanched

sugar snap peas (or mix with snow peas) and top with a few flowers. It will make the taste sweeter as well. RELATED: Alex Guarnaschelli: How to Make Amazing Asparagus BORAGE FLOWERS These

little flowers, in both white and a royal blue color, taste a lot like cucumber. For that reason, I love to put them on top of some chilled cucumber soup or in a cucumber and tomato salad.

They are also oddly delicious with oyster on the half shell. They somehow make the oysters taste more oystery to me… JOHNNY JUMP UPS These flowers are so beautiful that I can hardly take my

eyes off them. They might be so beautiful that I almost don’t care what they taste like. I just want to sprinkle them on everything and just stare at them. In truth, they are very delicate,

so I only use them raw. I pair them in a salad with one strong-flavored green. I love arugula leaves tossed with some lemon and olive oil and sprinkled with these flowers, for example. They

must be used where they won’t get lose in a sea of flavors. SQUASH BLOSSOMS These are the most “user-friendly” flowers because they are large enough to be stuffed and cooked crispy. For me,

they taste better cooked. From ricotta cheese to chopped and cooked white button mushrooms, these flowers are perfect when filled with something mild (so as not to eclipse the delicate

flower) and served with a spicy sauce. Beautiful and delicious.