How to make Edible Flower Spread - How Tuesday

One of the most decorative and easy to create dishes you can make for summer gatherings. Just a few simple ingredients but a lovely item that will be talk of the event. 

Here is a list of possbile Edible flowers to use in your creation:

• Pansies are probably the most common of all edible flowers, so pretty and they come in a wide range of colors and hues. Pansies are really more showy than flavorful but you might note a slight "grassy" taste.
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  Violets grow wild in the spring and early summer (depending on where you live) and can also be grown as a landscape perennial (known as sweet violets). Violets have a sweet, floral flavor in both leaves and flowers. However, don't confuse violets with African violets which are usually considered non-edible.
• Johnny-Jump-Ups look like miniature pansies, but have a different flavor that is slightly "minty." some say they taste a bit like bubblegum! They're perfect on cakes or with soft mild cheese. Johnny-jump-ups, pansies and violets are all members of the Viola genus.
• Marigolds, like the name says, come in shades of yellow and gold. They have a mild citrus flavor. Another bonus to marigolds? Deer are not too wild about them, and tend to leave them alone in the garden!
• Roses are not only beautiful to look at and smell! All roses are edible, each has a delicate, slightly sweet flavor. So stop and eat the roses!
• Honeysuckle flowers are abundant in the spring and, like the name says, have a sweet honey taste. They can be used as a pretty garnish, but also for tea, jelly, syrup and lots of other things. Just a note: only the flowers are edible, the berries are poisonous!
• Chive Blossoms are a beautiful pale purple and have a mild chive taste. They're lovely in salads and you can break apart the flowers and sprinkle the tiny pretty purple petals over vegetables, eggs, soup, potato salad, etc.
• Dandelions aren't just pesky weeds! You can eat dandelion greens. But everything; the leaves, the flowers and even the roots of the dandelion are edible. Dandelion leaves are a bit bitter, but the flowers have a sweet flavor. Their bright, cheerful color makes a beautiful addition to salads!
• Elderflower has a flavor profile described as uniquely fresh, fruity, green and slightly floral with subtle pear, lychee and tropical nuances. You can pair elderflower with light teas, as well as adding to fruit salads or combining in spreads or dips and use to make elderflower cordial. Remove the flowers fully from the stems which can be toxic.
• Nasturtium is a favorite flower for displaying and eating. Nasturtiums have brightly colored red, orange and yellow blossoms and round stiff leaves. Both the leaves and the flowers are edible with a slightly peppery flavor a bit like arugula. The blossoms have a milder taste and add color to garnish cakes, pastries, salads, soups, etc.
• Cornflowers, also known as Bachelor Buttons have a sweet, spicy clove-like flavor. Their brilliant blueish purple hue adds an eye-catching touch!
• Campanula (bell flower) has a mild, bland flavor so it's used more for the pretty purple flowers than for added flavor. The leaves and flowers of the Campanula plant can be used in salads and as an edible garnish for lots of other dishes.

Your first step is to gather the flowers.  Whatever is in season when you are ready to create the spread.

Pull the flowers from the stem. Save some whole for garnish and chop the rest fine.

I did cut flowers up with scissors directly into the cheese mixture, but I started with a bowl of cut flowers, like chamomile, roses, lavender, daisy, calendula, etc. Then added the pansies later.  I soaked the chopped flowers in 1 1/2 tsp of lemon juice while I blended the cheese and butter.

Step Two is the create the cheese mixture. Blend the one 8 oz. package of cream cheese with 1/4 cup of butter.

Once the cheese was blended, I added the thyme or savory and mixed well. Then blended in the flowers.  I use a fork to get everything well mixed, so I don't have clumps of cheese or butter in the final product.

Once everything is well blended, I placed it on some plastic wrap (or wax paper) and shaped it into a log.  

  

     

I placed the log in the refrigerator for about 15 to chill it, then I unwrap and cover the top side of the log with whole flowers (garnish.) Then I put the flower covered log back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 

Place clean wrap over the flowers and allow to chill up to overnight.

When ready to serve, carefully unwrap the log and place on a decorative plate for serving.

Edible Flower Spread 

8 oz. package light cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

3 to 4 tsp fresh minced flowers

1 tsp fresh thyme or savory

Blend butter and cream cheese together with a fork in a medium bowl.  Add the lemon juice to herbs and allow to soak a couple minutes before blending into cheese and butter mixture.  Roll into a log and wrap in plastic wrap.  Allow to meld in refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving.  Spread on toasted French bread, crackers, cut vegetables or fruit wedges.

Edible Flower and Thyme Shortbread Cookies - How to

Edible Flower and Thyme Shortbread Cookies

• 14 Tbsp (2 sticks minus 2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice (optional, but use 2 more Tbsp butter in its place)
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
• 3-4 Tbsp minced fresh edible flower petals (calendula, nasturtium, violets, pansy, borage, lavender, or any other edible herb flower in a mix or singly)
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme
• pinch salt

Steps:

Cream together the butter and sugar.

Then add the egg yolk, lemon juice and lemon zest (if using) and stir to combine. 

Then add the flour, arrowroot, flowers, thyme, and salt.  

Gently stir everything together until the dough barely holds together. It will seem a bit floury.  

Take the dough out of the bowl and form it into a log shape. 

Wrap it tightly with parchment paper, twisting the ends to help hold it all together. 

Put in the fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes, or until firm. 

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300°F. Unwrap the log and slice the log into 1/4 inch rounds. 

Put them on a parchment lined baking sheet, about an inch or so apart. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check them closely after 25 minutes. 

Take them out when only the edges just barely start to turn golden. The centers will still be fairly soft. 

Let them cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They will firm up as they cool. 

To make them special, you can add fresh flowers to the centers of the cookies while they are still warm.    

                                            

Here are the directions grouped together:

Directions:

Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the egg yolk, lemon juice and lemon zest (if using) and stir to combine. Then add the flour, arrowroot, flowers, thyme, and salt.  Gently stir everything together until the dough barely holds together. It will seem a bit floury.  Take the dough out of the bowl and form it into a log shape. Wrap it tightly with parchment paper, twisting the ends to help hold it all together. Put in the fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes, or until firm. You can store the dough for several days in the fridge, or for several weeks in the freezer, if need be. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300°F. Slice the log into 1/4 inch rounds. Put them on a parchment lined baking sheet, about an inch or so apart. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check them closely after 25 minutes. Take them out when only the edges just barely start to turn golden. The centers will still be fairly soft. Add fresh flowers to the center of the cookies, then let them cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They will firm up as they cool. Recipe adapted from www.growforagecookferment.com

Perennials Herbs to add to your landscape this Fall

Here are three Perennial herbs that you can plant in your fall garden so you can enjoy the flowers and eating them next year.

Edible flowers are a great addition to the landscape.  They have long-lasting flowers that not only add to the look of the garden space, but also add great flavors colors, and scents to your food dishes.  These three are easy to grow and simple to use. 

Perennials are a great plant to add to the garden at the end of the season so they can establish over winter and emerge for your enjoyment in Spring.

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)

I recommend Common Chives, rather than Garlic chives.  Common Chives flower first thing in the spring when few other things are flowering and the flowers can be used a number of ways.  I love to make herbal vinegar with my chive blossoms.  It is a lovely pink color with the gentlest flavor of onion,  You can also crumble the flowers into a salad or to flavor oil dipping sauces. Later when the flowers are finished you can sprinkle the chopped leaves sprinkled over baked potatoes, salads or pizza.

Add them to your landscape where you want a change in texture as the thin blade-like leaves will fountain out as the plant gets older.

Chives are great in vinegar and salads as an edible flower and you can find several recipes on this blog.

Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)

Bee balm is a wonderful perennial for drawing pollinators into your garden, but did you know it is an edible ornamental? Both the leaves and flowers are edible and have a strong, oregano-like flavor. You might also detect notes of mint, as this perennial is in the mint family. Don’t let the fact that they are in the mint family fool you—these are non-running, clump-forming, petite perennials for the front of the border or herb garden.

Another common name for bee balm is bergamot, as an herbal tea is is a great substitute for the bergamot oil in black tea that flavors Earl Grey.   The leaves or flowers of Monarda didyma can also be used fresh, chopped finely like you would use fresh oregano to flavor pasta dishes, in salad dressings or on your homemade pizza.

To use Bee Balm in recipes, check out these posts.

English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

Like bee balm, lavender is another plant we tend to think of mostly as an ornamental flowering perennial rather than an edible herb. You’ll find a number of different species at the garden center, but English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, is the one often used in recipes and garden. It tastes much like it smells—sweet and floral-like. Its fresh or dried flowers can be used in marinades and cooking blends, sprinkled over ice cream, steeped in lemonade or cocktails, or used to flavor shortbread cookies and other baked goods.

The plant must be well mulched in winter to come back the following year, but the tall flower spikes with purple buds and flowers can bloom from June to September. When not blocking it has a needle-shape leaf in a silver-gray color that adds a bit of scent and texture to your garden landscape.

So try out these perennials and plant them now in the fall and enjoy them next year to their fullest and most tasty.

Check out recipes with this herb here on the blog.

Herb and Flower, Tomato and Cucumber Salad

April after planting

The heat is finally taking out the last of the pansies I started with in April.  We have many shady spots in the yard so I can keep pansy’s happy for quite a long time.  But when Illinois gets into patterns of 90-degree heat for days at a time, no amount of water will keep those pansies happy.  So this morning before the humidity rose and I had to turn on the air again, I went out and harvested a fist full of pansy flowers to add to a cucumber and tomato salad.

We have a few tomatoes that are nearing the end of shelf life so tossing with oil and vinegar will keep them fresher and allow me to eat more than I would in a sandwich.  Since today is my day to do all the cooking so the hubby can work on a project, I thought this great salad with a side of grilled chicken leftovers would be a great lunch.

I used a vinegar I made with pansies and violas back in April.  It is a lovely red color and looks great with red tomatoes.  The flowers I used: lavender, sage, oregano, borage, bee balm, calendula, pansy, thyme and some chamomile.

I will share the crockpot chicken stew I created for dinner later.

Herby Tomato and Cucumber Salad

2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes cut in ¾ inch chunks

1 medium onion, cut in ¼ inch chunks’1 medium cucumber cut in ½ inch chunks

8 oz. of mozzarella cheese

3 Tbls olive oil

3 Tbls Herb vinegar (chive, basil, or flower)

1/3 cup chopped fresh herb flowers, oregano, chive, basil or any combo of savory herb flowers.

A few herb flowers for garnish

calendula, sage, thyme. pansy (top lft to rt)
lavender, borage, oregano, chamomile, bee balm (bottom lft to rt)

                                     

Toss together, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and cheese.  Drizzle with oil and vinegar.  Toss.  Add herb flowers and toss well.  Refrigerate for one hour before serving.  Garnish to with fresh herb flowers.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018, or Recipe2019 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2020 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Feb 2020 - Footbal Tailgate Favorites (AppFeb)

March 2020 - Kabobs (KabobMar)

April 2020 - Brunch (BrunchApr) more in 2021 also

May 2020 - Non-Traditional Pizza (PizzaMay)

June 2020 - Stir Fry Dishes (StirJun)

July 2020 - Salads with no lettuce (SaladJul)

August 2020 - Pickled things (PickleAug)

September 2020 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2020 - Squash Soups (SquashOct)

November 2020 - Pumpkin (again) (PumpNov)

December 2020 - Turkey Recipes (TurkDec)

Take a Virtual Garden Tour of the Luther Burbank Gardens

I had this blog post planned over a month ago, but just could not get into it so I put it off.  But in these days of sheltering in place I thought a virtual tour of a garden might be just the thing. I chose the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens.  

March 7^th was the birthday American horticulturist Luther Burbank.  Born in 1849, he developed many new varieties of fruits, vegetables, and flowers including the Shasta Daisy.  There is a foundation, museum and gardens devoted to the history of this influential plant specialist on his property in Santa Rosa, California.

After his death in 1926, he was buried on the front lawn “under the Cedar of Lebanon.” The property was opened to the public in the 1930s when Burpee Seed Company owned most of the property and seed development of Luther Burbank.

A bit of whimsy int he Luther Burbank Garden

On the website they offer a great coloring book entitled The Man Who Could Make a Flower, which is perfect for kids.

The Gardens can be viewed in vivid color by taking a virtual tour. They have a page on the website called “What’s in Bloom.”   For each month of the year they have a huge page of photos of what can be seen blooming in the garden.  It is like a virtual walk through the seasons of color.  

After you have gotten your fill of the Garden you can check out the wealth of information on Luther Burbank, his history breeding plants and explore information how what happened to his seeds and creations.

Imagine a world without the summer staple the Shasta Daisy – This edible flower was actually created by Burbank in 1901.  But it took 17 years to accomplish.  The flower was created as a quadruple hybrid.  Meaning the origin plant a New England Oxeye Daisy was mixed in succession with pollen from 3 more daisy species until it created his vision of the ideal daisy with large pure white flowers, smooth stems, early and persistent blooming, good keeping quality as a cut flower and sturdiness as a garden plant. They were named for California’s glistening white Mount Shasta, and presented an entirely new plant species, now known officially as Leucanthemum x superbum.

Of special note is the fact that 100 years ago Burbank was a member of the Victory Garden Committee of World War I. The goal of the National War Garden Commission was to encourage Americans to plant vegetable gardens so commercially produced agriculture could be shipped overseas to US troops and allies. The effort was so successful that there was no food rationing during WWI.  Burbank had created (introduced) a variety of fruits and vegetables which were then used for canning at home by many people in the U.S.  

In these current times many people are thinking of creating another season of Victory Gardening which made me realize it was a great time to explore the gardens of Luther Burbank. Don’t you agree?

All images in the post are from the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens website - www.lutherburbank.org

Herbal Tea Cookies - Weekend Recipe

Log cookies are the easiest to make, and you can make them in advance and freeze the dough and just thaw and cut them when you want or need them. Herb flowers, herb teas and herb butters or herb flavored sugars allow you to make the recipe different every time. 

Herbal Tea Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons finely ground floral tea (can be all edible flowers or a flower and black tea blend)  

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

Paper towel tubes (for the freezing process) 

Directions:

Whisk flour, tea and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Put butter, sugar and orange zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture until just combined. Divide dough in half. Transfer each half to a piece of parchment paper; shape into logs. Roll in parchment to 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Transfer in parchment to paper towel tubes; freeze until firm, 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

RECIPE THEME:

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Cajun And Creole

May 2019 - Seafood Recipes

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes

September 2019 - Quiche

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals

November 2019 - Pies

December 2019 - Mocktails

Making Sugared Flowers

Something else to do with Edible Flowers is to enjoy them as a decoration on cakes, cookies, or garnish on a beverage, be it tea or cocktail. A candied or sugared flower is great to preserve the lovely spring flowers like violas or pansies which proliferate the gardens this time of year.  So grab a few and try this out.  Share your photos here or on Facebook.

Sugared flowers (Candied)

1 large egg white

1 teaspoon water

72 pesticide-free edible flowers, such as pansies and violas, stems removed

Superfine sugar, for sprinkling

Whisk egg white with water in a small bowl. Working with 1 flower at a time and holding it with tweezers, brush egg wash over entire surface of flower using a small paintbrush. Sprinkle with sugar. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment to crisp flowers. Let stand at room temperature overnight. 

NOTE: Sugared flowers can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 3 months.

RECIPE THEME:

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Cajun And Creole

May 2019 - Seafood Recipes

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes

September 2019 - Quiche

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals

November 2019 - Pies

December 2019 - Mocktails