Marinades for Meats: lavender, anise hyssop, herb flowers Soft Cheeses: nasturtiums, borage, calendulas, chive blossoms, runner bean flowers, pansies, violas and violets, herb flowers Butters (for pasta, steak, vegetables, or bread): calendulas, nasturtium, chive blossoms, rose petals, herb flowers, violets, lavender Oils (steep cold for 4 weeks in extra virgin olive oil): nasturtiums, chives, herb flowers Vinegars (steep cold for 4 weeks in good red or white wine vinegar): violas and violets, rose petals, nasturtiums, chive blossoms, herb flowers Ice Cream (steep petals in the milk for a few hours): anise hyssop, lavender, rose petals, gardenia petals
Main Course Recipes Grilled Salmon with Nasturtiums and Nasturtium Vinegar Boneless salmon fillets 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil Olive oil 1/4 cup shallots, minced 3/4 teaspoon fresh dill weed, chopped Salt and pepper 1/4 cup fresh chive flowers 1 cup nasturtium flowers, chopped Salt and pepper to taste whole fresh nasturtium flowers for garnish Preheat grill or broiler. Rub salmon fillets with olive oil and then season with salt and pepper. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, shallots, olive oil, dill weed, and salt and pepper. Stir in chopped nasturtium flowers and chive flowers. Grill or broil salmon about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness and taking care not to overcook. Set fillets on a pretty serving platter, spoon vinaigrette over salmon, and garnish with whole nasturtiums.
Anise Hyssop Beef Strips 1 pound flank steak, cut into strips across the grain 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 cup anise hyssop flowers and leaves, chopped 3 Tablespoons scallions, chopped 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup chicken broth 1 Tablespoon brown sugar 2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 teas. water 2 Tablespoons sherry more anise hyssop flowers for garnish Combine the anise hyssop, soy sauce, brown sugar, and sherry. Pour over the steak strips and marinate several hours. Remove the meat from the sauce and reserve the remaining marinade. In a large skillet, heat the oil and stir-fry the meat quickly over medium-high heat until brown. Add the scallions, reserved marinade, and chicken broth and heat through. Stir in the cornstarch mixture until the sauce thickens. Serve over jasmine rice. Garnish with anise hyssop flowers.
Grilled Pork Chops with Lavender and Herbs 3-4 pork chops, 1 inch or so thick (preferably fed on living pastures and acorns for richer flavor) 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, minced 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced 1 teaspoon fresh lavender flowers (or 1/2 teaspoon dried) 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Mix the herbs, flowers, salt, and pepper together thoroughly with the olive oil. Rub this mixture well into the pork chops, cover them with plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat one side of grill to medium-high. Lay chops directly over flame and grill uncovered for 1 1/2 minutes per side. Move chops to cool side of grill, close lid, and cook for about 12 minutes more until neat is approx. 145 degrees. Remove to a platter, cover loosely, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Side Dish Recipes Squash Blossom Frittata 12 fresh squash blossoms 6 eggs 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes 2 lemon squash (or other small summer squash) 6 sweet basil leaves 1 small yellow sweet pepper chives salt and pepper 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mince the chives; dice the squash, chiffonade the basil; chop the sweet pepper; halve the tomatoes. Whisk the eggs with the cream, adding salt and pepper to taste. In a 10 inch saute pan, saute the sweet pepper and squash in the olive oil. Lower stove top temperature to medium heat and add the chives, tomatoes, and basil chiffonade. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies. Gently press the squash blossoms into the eggs and veggies creating a pleasing pattern. Cook on medium until the egg just starts to set on the sides and bottom. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Cool for a few minutes, cut into wedges and serve.
Fried Squash Blossoms 12 squash blossoms (summer or winter squash) 2 eggs, beaten 10 Tablespoons fine bread crumbs or panko 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
Clean the blossoms and remove the stems and small green spikes at the base. Separate and extend the petals until the flower shape is visible. Dip the flowers in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs making sure to thoroughly coat each blossom. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry a few flowers at a time until they are crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels and serve.
Sage Tempura 6-8 inch lengths of sage (leaves and flowers on stem) Oil or lard Make your favorite tempura batter, heat oil (peanut or palm) or lard in a deep fryer or deep pan, dip the sage stems in the batter and deep fry them in the oil. Drain on paper towels and serve.
Daylilly Frittata 6 fresh daylilly blossoms 6 eggs 1 cup heavy cream 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 6 fresh sweet basil leaves, chiffonade 1/4 teaspoon celery seed salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk the eggs with the cream, adding salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the herbs. Heat a 10-inch saute pan over medium heat, then pour the egg mixture into the pan. Gently press the daylilly blossoms into the eggscreating a pleasing pattern. Cook on medium until the egg just starts to set on the sides and bottom. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Cool for a few minutes, cut into wedges and serve.
Gladiolas with Jasmine Rice 1 cup jasmine rice 8 large gladiola flowers 1 1/2 cups water 1/3 cup calendula petal dash of salt 4 chive blossoms, remove petals 1/3 cup nasturtium petals
Heat water, rice, and salt to boiling. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes until rice is done cooking. Cool. Mix calendula petals, nasturtium petals, and chive blossom petals with the rice. Stuff each gladiola with 1/4 cup of mixture. Serve.
Daylilly Beans with Flower Confetti Large daylily blossoms with stamens removed small green beans Flower confetti made with mixed petals of any of the following:
herb flowers - any kind, calendula, nasturtium, squash blossom chiffonade, runner bean flowers
Heat water to boiling and cook green beans for 4 minutes until color brightens. Cool slightly. Mix in flower confetti with beans. Stuff each daylilly with a small amount of the bean/flower mixture and serve.
Heat water to boiling and cook snap peas for 2 minutes. Cool slightly. Mix in all flowers; serve immediately.
Great Beginnings Recipes Daylily Blue Cheese Salad Whole daylilies with stems and stamens removed (3 lilies per serving) Blue cheese, crumbled Garden fresh cherry tomatoes, halved Carrots, cut into thin matchsticks Flower vinaigrette
On each individual serving plate, place three daylilies and gently spread out their petals so that they remain whole yet overlap each other. Sprinkle crumbled blue cheese and matchstick carrots over the daylilies. Top with halved cherry tomatoes. Serve with your favorite flower vinaigrette.
Flower Confetti Salad Lettuce and other greens Flower petals, small or chopped (see possibilities on the edible flower page of this web site) Garden fresh cherry tomatoes, halved Flower vinaigrette
Toss together lettuces and other greens. Put onto individual serving dishes. Place cherry tomatoes over greens. Add a generous sprinkling of flower petals. Serve with your favorite flower vinaigrette.
Edible Flower Appetizers Softened cream cheese Crusty bread sliced thin, toasted rustic bread, or crackers Flower petals, chopped fine (possibilities include runner beans, herb flowers and herbs, calendulas, roses, nasturtiums, violets, and many others) Whole edible flowers
Blend the flower petals and any herbs into the cream cheese. Put in the refrigerator overnight to allow the flavors to meld. Serve on bread or toasties and top with whole edible flowers.
Hibiscus Tea Boil a few cups of water in a saucepan. Turn off the heat and add fresh tea hibiscus flowers at a rate of 2 flowers per cup of water. Add a small amount of minced crystalized ginger to the water. Cover pan and steep for 20 minutes. Taste and add sweetener if desired. Strain the mixture into a warmed tea pot, or serve chilled over ice.
Dessert Recipes Floral Ice Creams Using your favorite vanilla ice cream recipe, make the following changes: delete vanilla beans and extracts; instead, steep a large handful of chopped flowers (anise hyssop petals and leaves, mint petals and leaves, rose petals, lavender flowers, or 2-3 gardenia petals) in the heated milk/cream prior to proceeding as usual with your recipe. Freeze in an ice cream machine and garnish servings with flower petals when serving.
Marigold Cake 1 cup softened unsalted butter Zest from one orange 1 cup sugar 3 Tablespoons fresh Tangerine Gem Marigold petals 4 eggs, beaten Zest from one lemon 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder
Grease and flour a loaf pan. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy; add beaten eggs a little at a time. Sift the flour and baking powder; fold into creamed mixture. Add the orange and lemon zest, and the marigold petals. Spoon into the loaf pan and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for an hour. Cool on rack for 5 minutes, then remove from tin and cool completely before serving. Serve slices spread with sweet floral butters - see suggestions below.
Sweet Floral Butter Combinations Start with 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened Add in any of the following combinations 1. Rose petal chiffonade, minced crystalized ginger, Red Clover petals, honey 2. Lilac petals, Red bud petals, honey, vanilla paste 3. Japanese honeysuckle petals, apple blossoms, honey
In small pan, heat milk and lemon balm until almost scalded. Remove from heat and cool. Mix the flour and baking powder together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, continuing beating. Blend in the lemon zests. Strain the lemon balm milk, discard the leaves and flowers, and add the milk and flour mixtures alternately to the batter. mix until just blended. Pour the batter into a grease and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven for about an hour. Meanwhile mix the lemon glaze (below) and set aside. Cool baked cake in pan for 5 minutes, remove onto a wire rack placed over a cookie sheet. Pour lemon glaze over cake while it is hot. Lemon Glaze for Tea Cake: Put juice of two lemons, 1 teaspoon of calendula leaves (chopped), and 1 teaspoon of rose petals (chiffonade) into a bowl. Blend in powdered sugar until a thick, but pourable paste forms.
Lemon Lavender Cookies 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour Frosting: 1/4 cup butter, softened 1 teaspoon dried lavender buds, ground slightly 1 cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 Tablespoon milk 1/4 teaspoon salt Mix together and beat until smooth 3/4 cup butter, softened 1 cup powdered sugar
Combine flour, lavender buds, lemon zest, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter until fluffy, and add powdered sugar beating until combined. Beat in flour mixture (you may have to stir near the end as the batter becomes quite stiff). On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 10-inch-long log. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for several hours until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut roll into 1/4 inch slices. Place slices 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes until edges are slightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack and cool. Spread frosting on cooled cookies and garnish with small sprigs of fresh lavender or a sprinkling of lemon zest. Makes 3 dozen cookies.
Recipes for Sweetened Spreads Nasturtium Preserves 1 cup packed nasturtium flowers 2 cups water 2 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar 1 Tablespoon basil flowers 1/4 cup maple syrup Pamona's Pectin, following directions (do not substitute - this is a special pectin that jells with various sweeteners)
Dandelion Jelly 2 cups dandelion blossoms 4 cups water 1 box powdered fruit pectin, any variety 5 1/2 cups sugar 2 Tablespoons orange extract
In a large saucepan, boil dandelion blossoms and water for 4 minutes. Strain mixture, reserving 3 cups of liquid. Discard blossoms. In a Dutch oven, combine pectin and reserved dandelion liquid. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar; return to full roiling boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add extract, skim off foam. Ladle hot liquid into hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, center lids on jars, screw bands until fingertip tight. Place jars into canner with simmering water, covering completely with water. Bring to a boil and process for 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool. Makes about 6 half-pints.
Lavender Jelly 3.5 cups water 1/2 cup dried lavender flowers 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 pouch (3 oz) liquid pectin 4 cups sugar
In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat, add the lavender, and steep for 30 minutes. Then strain through cheesecloth into a pot, discarding the lavender flowers. Stir in lemon juice and sugar, and bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Add the liquid pectin and bring the mixture to a hard rolling boil (one that cannot be stirred down) over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, ladle into hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, center lids on jars, screw bands until fingertip tight. Place jars into canner with simmering water, covering completely with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool. Makes 5 half-pints.