the EDIBLE
FLOWER
GARDEN
Rosalind Creasy
First published in 1999 by Periplus Editions (HK ) Ltd.-, with editorial offices at 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759 USA and and 61 Tai Seng Avenue, #02-12, Singapore 534167.
Photographs and text copyright © 1999 Rosalind Creasy,.
except p 49 (top); Gudi Riter.
Illustrations by Marcie Hawthorne
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Creasy, Rosalind.
The edible flower garden / by Rosalind Creasy.—1st ed.
106 p. : ill. (some col.); 28 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. )
ISBN: 978-1-4629-0617-8 (ebook)
1. Flower gardening. 2. Flowers. 3. Plants, Edible. 4. Cookery (Flowers) I. Title.
SB405.C765 1999
635.9—dc21
98036999
CIP
Distributed by:
NORTH AMERICA, LATIN AMERICA & EUROPE
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive
North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436 U.S.A
Tel: 1 (802) 773-8930
Fax: 1 (802) 773-6993
ASIA-PACIFIC
Berkeley Books Pte. Ltd.
61 Tai Seng Avenue, #02-12
Singapore 534167
Tel: (65) 6280-1330
Fax: (65) 6280-6290
JAPAN
Tuttle Publishing
Yaekari Building, 3rd Floor
5-4-12 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo 141 0032
Tel: (81) 03 5437-0171
Fax: (81) 03 5437-0755
First edition
12 11 10 09 10 9 8 7 6 5 4
Design by Kathryn Sky-Peck
Printed in Singapore
contents
Edible Flower Gardens page 1
How To Grow Edible Flowers 10
My Edible Flower Gardens 16
Interview: Alice Waters 26
Encyclopedia of Edible Flowers page 29
From Anise Hyssop to Violets
Favorite Flower Recipes page 67
Flower Butters 70
Sweet Things 71
Candied Flowers 72
Edible Flower Canapes 74
Tulip and Endive Appetizer 75
Citrus Dip for Begonia Blossoms 76
Pineapple Sage Salsa 76
Ricotta-Stuffed Zuchinni Flowers 77
Sage Tempura 77
Flower Confetti Salad 78
Wild Violet Salad 79
Baby Shower Petal Salad 80
Mardi Gras Salad with Pecans 81
Poor Man's Pilaf 82
Stir-Fried Beef with Anise Hyssop 83
Grilled Swordfish with Rosemary 84
Rose Petal Syrup 86
Rose Petal Sorbet 87
Lavender Ice Cream 87
Tangelo and Kiwi Salad with Orange Blossoms 88
Scented Geranium, Creme Fraiche, and Strawberries 89
Tea Cake with Anise Hyssop and Lemon 90
Lavender Shortbreads 90
Appendices page 92
Appendix A: Planting and Maintenance 92
Appendix B: Pest and Disease Control 99
Resources 103
Acknowledgments 106
edible
flower
gardens
It's incredible how many flowers or parts of flowers I've eaten in the past few years—lavender petals made into ice cream, zucchini blossoms stuffed with ricotta cheese, roses used in butter, to name just a few. And I've made an effort to share the experience, serving unsuspecting guests unadorned pineapple guava petals and an Art Deco—style cake with candied pansies. Not only do I eat edible flowers, but I've become a missionary in promoting them!
I'd love to be able to tell you about the first flower I ever ate, but I can't remember what it was. It was probably a nasturtium, though, eaten nearly twenty years ago. I'm certain I started slowly, since to eat flowers seemed odd to me, maybe even taboo. I remember eating rice garnished with calendula petals in Vermont and thinking that they made the dish colorful but didn't add much to the flavor. Later I tried