FOODS IN BLOOM

I found this article I had cut out of the August 1995 Country Homes magazine. It was so interesting that I want to share it. Also, tomorrow I will be making a really HUGE confession to you all. I will also be posting photos, so I hope you book mark it for the big confession tomorrow. It is about a problem I have had for years, and the time to come out with it, now. The reason I have to wait until tomorrow? My cameras batteries need charging. So, I will really be needing some help, as well as some encouragement and advice as to what to do. But please, before you make judgements toward me, please read the whole article tomorrow, before you do. Actually, I don't want negative criticism, just positive, as it will not be easy for me.



On with the article....



Take a bite of marigold muffins, and the sunny essence of summer butters your taste buds. Sip jasmine-laced punch and taste the soft perfume of flower petals. Whether you savor candied violets, hibiscus sorbet, or lavender mousse, you'll be indulging in the ancient pleasures of edible flowers.

Indeed, centuries before blossoms were appreciated for their beauty, they were prized for their delectability. In cultures as diverse as pre-Christian Rome, dynastic China and imperial Persia, flowers were a culinary staple. Not until the Industrial Revolution, when technology made more foods widely available, did the taste for flowers fade.

In the current climate for healthful eating, edible flowers have blossomed anew. Harvested from ornamentals, herbs, and vegetables, flowers now flavor appetizers, salads, soups, main dishes, and desserts. Flowers can be candied, jellied, pickled, deep-fried, sauteed, steamed, and stuffed.

Crystallize pansy and apple blossoms with egg white and sugar for cake decorations. Dip Acadia and elderberry flowers into batter for fritters and use hollyhocks as colorful cups for dips and seafood salads. Fill squash blossoms with any savory mousse and brew teas by steeping chamomile or rosemary in boiling water.

Flower cookery can be as simple as strewing basil blossoms atop sliced tomatoes, spooning scented-geranium leaves into the sugar bow, floating garlic chive rosettes in vinegar, or topping fruit with pineapple sage trumpets. Fold bee balm into soft butter or cheese for a spread, mix roses into cookie dough, and sprinkle calendula on pasta, rice and eggs.

Some blooms, such as woodruff and hoeysuckle, are sweetish; others, such as nasturtium and arugula, are pungent. Day lilies hint of chestnut, gladiolus's taste like lettuce, and tulips like asparagus. Borage is cool as cucumber, carnations spicy as cloves.

Experimentation is tempting, but first be sure the flower is edible. Many specimens, including foxglove, iris, daffodil, and sweet pea, are poisonous by nature. Also, those grown for the florist trade usually are toxic from pesticides and other harmful chemicals used in greenhouses and nurseries. If you are uncertain, consult poison control centers, horticultural organizations, or reliable reference books. The best bets are to raise flowers organically and obtain plants from specialty growers or garden catalogs. Edible flowers also are turning up at gourmet grocers, farmer's markets, and supermarkets.

It's little wonder that cooks are clamoring for these natural ingredients that are both traditional and novel.



BOOKS ON EDIBLE FLOWERS

• Edible Flowers: From Garden to Palate, by Cathy Wilkinson Barash, Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, Colorado, 1993.


• Flowers in the Kitchen, by Susan Blesinger, Interweave Press, Loveland, Colorado, 1991.


• Taylor's Pocket Guide to Herbs and Edible Flowers, edited by Ann Reilly, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1990.


• Cooking with Flowers, by Jenny Leggatt, Balantine-Fawcett-Del-Rey-Ivy Books, New York, 1987.


• Edible Flowers, by Claire Clifton, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1984.


• The Forgotten Art of Flower Cookery, by Leona Woodring Smith, Harper & Row, New York, 1973.


• A Feast of Flowers, by Francesca Tillona and Cynthia Strowbridge, Funk & Wagnalls, New York, 1969.

Recipes with edible flowers

Try these recipes from Lane Furneaux, author of Heavenly Herbs, Love Letters Edition (Ladybug Press, Dallas, 1994.)

LAVENDER COOKIES

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter

1-2 fresh-snipped lavender leaves

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

Sprinkling of lavender blossoms

In a mixing bowl beat shortening, butter, and lavender leaves with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds or until softened. Add about half of the flour, the sugar, eggs, baking powder, and vanilla. Beat until combined, then beat or stir in remaining flour. Gently stir lavender blossoms into mixture.

Drop dough from teaspoon 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in 375 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove cookies and cool on wire rack. Makes about 40 cookies.

• Article was originally written by Rosemary G. Rennicke

KOLIO FOURNO (BAKED MACKEREL)

I am posting another GREEK RECIPE from the Greek Cook Book. This one is for Mackerel and it tastes so scrumptous. I had made this one time for a small get together and ended up writing the recipe down 3 times for 3 different women friends. Hope you and yours enjoy it. :0)

DONT FORGET TO JOIN MY FOOD FORUM, IT IS NEW, BUT I AM HOPING IT WILL GROW. :) IT IS CALLED RECIPES FROM THE WORLD OVER http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=112623

KOLIO FOURNO (BAKED MACKEREL)

3 lbs mackerel

salt & pepper to taste

1 lemon

4 tea. chopped garlic

4 tea. chopped onion

2 tbl. chopped parsley

2 tea. chopped green pepper

1 cup oil

1 lb. ripe tomatoes, peeled & strained

1/2 cup white wine

Clean & wash the fish; season with salt & pepper. Place in a pan. Squeeze the lemon over the fish, then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the garlic over the fish, then the onion, parsley, and green pepper. Pour the oil over it, then add the tomatoes. Bake in a preheated 250 degree oven for 15 minutes. Add the wine. Baste the fish with the pan sauce, and bake 30 minutes longer, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Serves 6

Another Greek Recipe- Psari Vrasto Me Patates (Boiled Fish with Potatoes)

Fish is very good for you, especially if you can get it fresh. Here is another Greek recipe and this one is from the book THE GREEK COOK BOOK BY SOPHIA SKOURA Translated and adapted from the Greek by Helen Georges. copyright 1974. (NOT SELLING IT, I AM KEEPING MY BOOK). But you can find one by clicking the title link above and search the books title.

PSARI VRASTO ME PATATES

3 lbs fatty fish (1 large or 2-3 small)

1 1/2 lbs small, round potatoes

2-3 onions, thickly sliced

2-3 carrots, sliced

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 cup oil

water as needed

salt & pepper to taste

1-2 lemons, juice only

Clean and peel potatoes; leave them whole. Put the potatoes, onions, carrots, and celery in a wide pot; add the oil and 1 cup water. Simmer over medium heat 30-45 minutes.

Clean the fish. Cut it into 6 portions, season with salt & pepper. When the vegtables are almost tender, add the fish to the pot, laying it on the potatoes. Add the lemon juice. Cover the pot and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed but the oil remains. Serves 6.