Eat Your Roses. Denise Schreiber

       Syrups

       Sugars

       Resources

       Index

       Acknowledgments

       About the author

       INTRODUCTION

       the thing perhaps is to eat flowers and not to be afraid

       e.e. cummings

      Eating flowers is one of the true pleasures in life, providing sustenance to our senses and renewing our joy in food.

      I discovered the world of edible flowers back in 1999, when two friends and I decided to go to England and Wales to visit the famous gardens there. Joanne was a horticulture professor, Michele a landscape architect from Longwood Gardens, and I was greenhouse manager for Western Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County Parks. We pored over garden books and planned our grand tour, each picking out her “can’t miss” garden.

      Arriving in London at the beginning of June, we picked up our rental car and taught ourselves how to drive on “the wrong side of the road” in the airport parking lot. We stayed in B&B’s and toured gardens large and small, some on the itinerary and some that weren’t. Our last stop was far off the beaten path, at Mottisfont Abbey in Hampshire. We found it by driving down a road that can only be described as a goat path that opened up into a breathtaking vista of roses. The original building at Mottisfont was a priory, founded by an advisor to King Richard the Lionhearted, King John and Henry III. Today, Mottisfont Abbey is home to the famous collection of historic shrub roses created by Graham Stuart Thomas (you might say they smelled good enough to eat, but that’s getting ahead of the story).

       I fall in love

      Like so many other public gardens, the Abbey has places for that wonderful English tradition known as afternoon tea, which sustains you until dinnertime. Joanne and Michele opted for tea and scones; I, on the other hand, spotted a little cup of rose petal ice cream. I have to tell you that I consider ice cream one of the main building blocks of the food groups.

      I put a spoonful into my mouth and discovered heaven on earth. The fragrance of the roses enveloped my tongue with perfume like nothing else I had ever eaten. I was in love. Unfortunately, there was no one around to ask for the recipe. When we came home I searched the Internet and found not only rose petal ice cream but a whole world of edible flowers and recipes. I started making some of the dishes, creating new recipes, experimenting with the endless varieties of flavors. And that is how this book came to be.

       Who eats flowers?

      Often, when I first mention to my guests that I cook with edible flowers, they roll their eyes at me, thinking I’m going to have them grazing on flowers. Actually, just about everyone has eaten edible flowers at some point in their lifetime. Zucchini blossoms in an Italian frittata, dandelion wine, rose petal jam and rose hip jam, broccoli, Brussels sprouts – all are examples of edible flowers and flower buds. There are the flowers of common herbs, thyme and rosemary among them, and some derivatives too, such as the seeds and seed pods of plants like sunflower seeds and the quintessential vanilla seed pod from Vanilla planifolia, a member of the orchid family. I was amazed to discover the extent of the edible flowers available to me.

       More than just a pretty face

      Not only are they used as food, some companies use them in vitamins and supplements – lutein, for example, which is in vitamin formulations for eyesight, and is derived from marigolds (Tagetes species). For a period of time there was a product on the market that was designed to “increase pleasure” for women with natural ingredients. The ingredient was Salvia officinalis, also known as common garden sage, a seasoning used for Thanksgiving turkey stuffing. So instead of taking a nap after dinner, you might be having other thoughts.

      But this book isn’t about remedies or being serious about eating only flowers. It’s all about having fun with your food by taking everyday recipes and changing them into something unique – and of course to impress your friends and family too!

      I wish you many happy edible adventures with the flowers in your life. Bon appétit!

       RULES FOR EATING EDIBLE FLOWERS

      

Eat flowers only when you are positive they are edible.

      

Just because it is served with food, does not mean a flower is edible.

      

DO NOT eat flowers from florists, nurseries or garden centers; they have probably been sprayed.

      

Eat only from flowers that have been grown organically without pesticides.

      

If you have hay fever, asthma or severe allergies, you should avoid eating members of the daisy family because they could trigger an allergic reaction.

      

Children under the age of 4 should not eat edible flowers because of possible reactions.

      

Remove pistils and stamens from flowers before eating. Eat only the petals.

      

Do not eat flowers picked from the side of a road. Besides exhaust emissions on the plants, you don’t know whose dog was there before you!

      

There are many varieties of any one flower. Flowers taste different when grown in different locations.

      

Introduce flowers slowly into your diet in the way you would new foods.

      

Not all flowers are edible. Some are poisonous (see below).

       WHAT FLOWERS ARE NOT EDIBLE?

       Be aware that many innocent-looking and beautiful flowers are not to be eaten because they can cause toxic reactions and serious illness. Here is a partial list of common garden flowers that should not be consumed.

Azalea	Rhododendron spp.
Boxwood	Buxus spp.
Burning Bush	Euonymus alatus and spp.