Do you want to "spice" up your meals? Sometimes I'll add flowers to a dull looking salad to add color. Or, sometimes I just eat flowers right out in the garden.

But one very important thing that you need to remember is that not every flower is edible. In fact, sampling some flowers can make you very, very sick. Make sure you know for sure the identity of the flower before eating it. You also should NEVER use pesticides or other chemicals on any part of any plant that produces blossoms you plan to eat.

Here are a few common, edible flowers to try.

SUNFLOWERS--Almost everyone knows what a sunflower looks like. Choose a mammoth or giant variety. You can harvest the seeds after the petals drop, cure them, and then eat them raw or oven-roasted.

JOHNNY JUMP-UPS (Viola tricolor)--This tender perennial has tiny, pansy-like flowers in deep purple, mauve, yellow and white. Blossoms have a mild wintergreen flavor and can be used in salads, to decorate cakes, or served with soft cheese. This plant will do well in sun or shade and grows to a height of six to eight inches.

NASTURTIUMS (Tropaeolum majus)--This low-growing annual has blossoms that taste like watercress with a slightly sweet flavor. There are several edible varieties to choose from, most of which grow best in full sun or light shade.

BORAGE (Borago officinalis)--This annual ornamental plant produces clusters of one-half inch sky-blue flowers, which bees find particularly attractive. Borage blossoms have a light cucumber taste and can be added to salads, fruit cups, or frozen in ice cubes for cold drinks. Plants grow two to three feet tall.

CHIVES (Allium schoenoprasum)--This herb has attractive lavender-pink blossoms that make a delicious addition to salads, egg dishes, and potatoes. Both blossoms and the slender dark green leaves (or "stems") have a subtle onion flavor. This perennial plant likes full sun and grows to one foot.

For more information, attend Edible Flowers on August 15 at 1 p.m. at the Fulton County Extension office in Lewistown. Sandy Mason, U of I Extension horticulture educator, will present the program via teleconference. Mason will show participants how to properly identify edible flowers as well as plants to avoid. The seminar features a color slide presentation accompanied by the voice of the instructor as people from all over the state participate. The session is free, but advance registration is needed by contacting Fulton County -Extension at fulton_co@extension.uiuc.edu or 547-3711 by August 11.