Eat flowers only when you know for certain that they are edible and non-toxic. Make sure that you have identified the flowers correctly. Only flowers that are organically grown should be eaten; therefore, do not eat flowers that are commercially grown unless you have verified that they have been organically maintained. Use only pesticides that are approved for flower and vegetable production. Collect only flowers that are freshly opened and free of insect and disease damage. Eat only the petals. Remove the pistils and stamens. Introduce flowers into food in moderation, add one or two at a time and in small quantities. Asmatics or persons who suffer from allergic reactions to certain types of flowers should use extreme caution before eating flowers, particularily composite type flowers (calendula, chicory, chrysanthemum, daisy, and marigold).

Agrimony, Alexander's Buds, Aloe Vera, Althea, Apple Blossoms, Arugula, Basil, Bee-Balm, Basswood, Begonia (Tuberous), Betony, Borage, Broccoli, Broom, Burnet, Calendula, Carnation, Catnip, Cattail, Chamomile, Chervil, Chicory, Chives, Chrysanthemum, Cilantro, Clary, Clover, Coltsfoot, Coriander, Costmary, Cowslip, Cucumber, Daisy, Dandelion, Daylily, Dewberry, Dianthus, Dill, Elder, English Daisy, Fennel, Garlic Chives, Geraniums, Gladiolus, Goat's-Beard, Goldenrod, Gorse, Grape Hyacinth, Hawthorn, Heather, Hibiscus, Hollyhock, Honeysuckle, Hyssop, Jasmine, Jonquils, Lavender, Lemon, Lilac, Lily, Linden, Lovage, Marigold, Marjoram, Marsh Marigold, Meadowsweet, Melilot, Milkweed, Mimosa, Mint, Motherwort, Monarda, Mullien, Mum, Mustard, Nasturtium, Okra, Orange, Oregano, Pansy, Parsley, Passionflower, Pea, Pineapple Sage, Plum Blossom, Poppies, Primrose, Radish, Redbud, Red Clover, Rose, Rosemary, Runner Bean, Safflower, Saffron, Sage, Savory, Scarlet, Scented Geranium, Snapdragon, Society Garlic, Spiderwort, Squash Blossoms, Sunflowers, Sweet Woodruff, Thyme, Tulip, Verbena, Violets, Winter Savory, Wood Sorrel, Woodruff, Wormwood, Yarrow, Yucca, Zucchini

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Sallet-All-Sorts
Ingredients
Almonds
Cucumbers
Olives
Capers
Berberries
Red-Beet
Nasturtium buds
Broom buds
Purslan stalk
Sampier
Ash-keys
Walnuts
Mushrooms
Raisins
Citron peel
Orange peel
Candy'd Flowers
Marrows
Pine kernels
Rose water
Pickled flowers
Vinegar
Method
The Almonds blanch'din cold water, cut them round and thin and so leave them in cold water. Then have pickled Cucumbers, Olives, Capers, Berberries, Red-Beet, Buds of Nasturtium, Broom, etc., Purslan stalk, Sampier, Ash-keys, Walnuts, Mushrooms, with raisins of the Sun ston'd, citron and orange peel. Strew them over with candied flowers and os despose of them in the same Dish both mist and by themselves. To these add Marrows, Pine kernels and of Almonds four times as much of the rest with some Rosewater.Here alos come in the Pickled Flowers and Vinegar in little china Dishes. And thus have you an universal winter Sallet or and All sort in compendium fitted for a City Feast and distinguished from the Grand Sallet which should consist of the green blanched and unpickled under a stately Pennash of Sellery adorn'd with Buds and Flowers.
John Evelyn, Acetaria 1699

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Gabrielle: What do you mean?
Xena: Just smelling the flowers.
Xena Warrior Princess, Ulysses

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Petals from 2 fresh roses
1/4 cup water

Place the petals and water in a small saucepan. Warm slowly until petals turn translucent. Strain & use liquid for cooking. Store in the refrigerator.
Note: Any edible flower may be substituted for the rose petals.

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1/2 cup Cream
2 Eggs
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
4 tablespoon Vinegar
1/4 cup Butter
Paprika, to taste
Pepper, to taste
4 slices Bacon, thick
Dandelions, to taste

Carefully wash and prepare the dandelion as you would lettuce. Roll in cloth and pat dry. Then put into a salad bowl and place in warm place. Cut bacon in small pieces, fry quickly and drop over the dandelions. Put the butter and cream into a skillet and melt over a slow fire. Beat eggs, add salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar and mix with slightly warm cream mixture. Pour into skillet and under increased heat, stir until dressing becomes thick like custard. Take off and pour piping hot over dandelion. Stir thoroughly. Never use dandelion after it has begun to flower, for then it is apt to be bitter.
Courtesy Jim Speir's Scouting Page, from Pennsylvania Dutch Cook Book - Fine Old Recipes, Culinary Arts Press, 1936.

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From the bonny bells of heather,
They brewed a drink longsyne,
Was sweeter far than honey,
Was stronger far than wine.
Robert Louis Stevenson

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1 cup cold Orange Blossom Water (see the recipe for Rose Water)
1 cup cold Milk
4 Eggs
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 cups Flour, sifted
4 tablespoons melted Butter

Pour the Orange Blossom water, milk, eggs, and salt into a blender; add the flour and the butter. Blend at top speed for 1 minute. If using a hand beater, beat for at least 2 minutes. To make a crepe, melt a tablespoon of the butter in a shallow skillet, until sizzling. Remove skillet from heat; pour 1/4 cup of the crepe batter into the skillet and roll the skillet around until the batter coats the bottom. Return the skillet to the heat and cook for 1 minute, sliding the skillet back and forth across the heat. Lift the crepe, with the aid of a spatula and knife; turn over and cook the other side.
From the Flower Cook-Book by Adrienne Crowhurst,1973.

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1 quart Milk
1 cup Elderflowers
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Sugar
Cinnamon or Nutmeg, dash

Simmer the milk with the elderflowers. Let sit for a few minutes and then strain out the flowers. Separate the eggs yolk and whites. Beat the yolks of the two with the sugar and add to milk mixture. Beat the egg whites until peaks form and mix with milk mixture. Chill and serve with a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg.

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All at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Keats (1795-1821)

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2 quarts St. John's Wort flowers
6 pound honey
2 gallons boiling Water
1/2 cup strong fresh made Tea
3 tablespoons Lemon juice
6 whole Cloves
1 stick Cinnamon, crushed
2 tablespoons dry Yeast

Place the flowers n a crock or plastic pail. Boil the honey and 1/2 gallon of the water together for 23 minutes. Pour the honey and water over the flowers. Add the tea, lemon juice, cloves, and cinnamon; pour in the remaining 1 1/2 gallons of boiling water; cool to lukewarm. Soften the yeast in a little warm water and add to the crock. Let the crock or pail stand, tightly covered with a sheet of plastic for one week. Strain: pour the strained liquid back into the crock. Cover tightly again with the plastic sheet and let stand until fermentation has quite finished or about two months. Strain into bottles, cork or cap, store for at least 2 months before using.
From the Flower Cook-Book by Adrienne Crowhurst,1973.

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2 Egg whites
1 quart fragrant Rose petals
Very fine Sugar

Beat the egg whites until foamy. Brush the Rose petals with the egg white, then dip them into the sugar. Place the petals on sheet of wax paper and let them dry. Store box or tin between layer of waxed paper.

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Alice, however, did wonder whether the pleasure of making a daisy chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies.
Lewis Carroll (1832-1889) Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

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1 Egg
1 teaspoon Butter
1 cup Cornmeal
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/4 cup Peanut or Veggie Oil
15 to 20 Dandelion flowers

Beat eggs with water in a small bowl. Mix cornmeal and cheese in a small bowl. Heat oil in a heavy frying pan until it begins to sizzle. Dip each flower into the egg mixture, then place it in the cornmeal-cheese mixture and gently toss until all surfaces are covered. Gently drop the coated flower in the hot oil, turning frequently, until evently golden. Drain on paper towel. Serve immediately or later at room temperature.
Borrowed from "Edible Flowers: From Garden to Palate" by Cathy Wilkinson Barash

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6 Rose-Geranium leaves, pesticide free
2 3/4 cups Sugar
1 cup softened unsalted Butter
6 large Eggs
2 teaspoons Rose Water
1/2 teaspoon Lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 cup Sour Cream
Zest of 1 small lemon
Sifted confectioners' sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Butter well a 10-inch tube pan and dust with flour, shaking out excess. In a food processor, combine the rose-geranium leaves with the sugar and process until rose-geranium leaves are minced fine. Add the butter and process until light. With the motor running, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and process until combined well. Add the rose water, lemon extract, and vanilla and process until just combined. In a bowl, sift the dry ingredients 3 times. Add alternately with the sour cream to the butter mixture, processing until smooth. Stir in the lemon zest. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes and invert onto a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving. Serves 12.

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When daisies pied and violets blue,
And lady-smocks all silver-white,
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight.
Shakespeare, Love's Labour Lost

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1 large or several small Chrysanthemums
1/2 cup Raisins
1 cup Water
1 large Cucumber
1 Egg, hard cooked
2 tablespoons Green Onion, sliced
2 cups unflavored Yogurt
1/2 cup Light Cream
1 tablespoon Parsley, dried
1 teaspoon Dill Seed
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 cup Cucumber, chopped
1 cup seasoned Croutons

Separate and chop the chrysanthemum petals. Heat water until boiling. Pour half the water into a small bowl and soak the raisins for 5 minutes. Boil the major portion of the chrysanthemums (leaving a tablespoon for garnish) for 3 minutes in the remaining water. Pare the cucumber, cut into 4 long wedges, and remove the seeds. Coarsely chop the cucumber and the egg. Place the cucumber in an electric blender. Transfer the raisins and chrysanthemums to the container using a slotted spoon, reserving the liquid. Add the green onion process on high for 30 seconds or until smooth. Combine the unflavored yogurt and light cream in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Stir in the cucumber mixture, parsley, dill seed, salt and pepper. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Thin to desired thickness with the reserved liquid. Chill for 2 to 3 hours. Ladle into chilled glass bowls and serve with croutons, 1/2 cup chopped cucumber, and the remaining chrysanthemum petals as garnish. Serves 4.

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24 fragrant Violet Blossoms, green parts removed
12 Violet leaves, stems removed
1 bunch young Dandelion leaves
1 bunch Watercress
1/2 cup white Wine Vinegar
1/2 cup salad Oil
1/4 cup Tarragon
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper

In a large bowl, preferably of wood, place the Violet blossoms and leaves, the Dandelion leaves, and the watercress. Blend together the vinegar, oil, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss. Lettuce, endive, sorrel, or any other green leafy salad vegetable my be substituted or added to the listed ingredients.
From the Flower Cook-Book by Adrienne Crowhurst,1973.

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Joxer- I brought your favorite, daisies, they're in bloom now, I can bring them to you fresh everyday.
Xena Warrior Princess, In Sickness and in Hell

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Elder Flower Fritters
(Medieval England)

1 Egg
1 cup self-rising Flour
1 teaspoon Rose Water (see following recipe)
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 cup Honey
2 cups Elder flowers, freshly picked & cleaned
2 tablespoons Brandy

Mix the egg, rose water, honey, & brandy in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the flour & cinnamon; the batter should resemble slightly thick pancake batter. If the batter is too thin, add a little more flour; if too thick, add more brandy. Fold in the elder flowers. Fry like pancakes or drop by the teaspoon into a deep-fat-fryer until golden brown. Serve with a sprinkling of orange water & fresh lemon, or dip into fresh sweet cream. Yield: About 2 dozen
Note: If you are not using self-rising flour, add 1 teaspoon baking powder & 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Borrowed from Wisteria's Faery Recipes

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I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.
Shakespeare, A Midsummer Nights Dream

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1/2 cup Rice
1 1/2 cups Water
2 cups Milk
1 cup Primrose petals, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Butter
3 Egg yolks
3 Egg whites

Place the rice and the water in an enamel saucepan; bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 8 minutes. Drain and rinse the rice. Return the rice to the saucepan; add milk, Primrose petals, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Bring to a boil; add the butter. Cover and simmer, over a very low heat, for 40 minutes. Let cool, beat the egg yolks and add. Beat the egg whites until foamy and add. Place in an overproof dish under the broiler until lightly browned--about five minutes.
From the Flower Cook-Book by Adrienne Crowhurst,1973.

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Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day - like writing a poem, or saying a prayer.
Anne Morrow Lindberg

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4 cup Chicken Stock
1 cup Nasturtiums
1/2 cube Butter
Salt
Pepper

Fry the nasturtiums in butter for 3 to 5 minutes. Heat chicken stock and mix in the fried nasturtiums, salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

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Pint Water
30 dried Chamomile flowers
Honey

Put about Chamomile flowers in a jug, pour over them a pint of boiling water, covering up the infusion; after standing one-half hour, pour it off from the flowers into another jug, and sweeten with honey.
Charles Elme' Francatelli, The Modern Cook,1911.

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To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower. Hold infinity in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour.
William Blake

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1 tablespoon unsalted Butter
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 large Shallots, minced
1 cup long-grain Rice
8 Squash Blossoms, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 2 ounces)
1 cup Chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
Salt and freshly ground Pepper

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter in the oil over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 1 minute. Stir in the rice and cook until it begins to turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the squash blossoms, stock and 1 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.
Recipe furnished by the Innkeepers at Deer Run Ranch Bed & Breakfast

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2 gallons of Water
4 guarts Cowslips
2 1/2 pounds Powder Sugar
2 Lemons

Take two pounds of powder sugar, and two gallons of water; boil then half an hour, taking care to skim it as the scum rises; then pour into a tub to cool, adding to it the rind of two lemons. When cold put four quarts of the flowers of cowslips to the liquor, and with the juice of two lemons. Let it stand in the tub two days, observing to stir it every two or three hours. Then put it in barrel, and after it has stood about three weeks, or a month. Bottle it not forgetting to put a lump of sugar into each bottle.
Mrs. Mary Cole, The Ladies Complete Guide, London 1791

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Like these cool lilies may our love remain,
Perfect and pure, and know not any stain.
Andrew Lang 1844-1930

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1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 cup dried Apricots
1/2 cup dried Plums
1 1/2 cups dried Apple Slices
2 cups Apple Juice
1/2 cup Water
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup heavy Cream
1 tablespoon Sugar
1/2 cup Apple Blossoms

Cut dried fruit into bite sized pieces. Combine dried fruit and raisins in a large sauce pan, adding apple juice and water. Bring to a boil over high heat; lower heat and cover saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add vanilla extract and cool 1 hour in saucepan. Pour fruit and apple juice mixture into a large glass or ceramic bowl. Blend in apple blossoms (leaving a teaspoon for later use). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours. Beat heavy cream and sugar in a small bowl until stiff. Spoon fruit mix into desert dishes using a slotted spoon; top with the cream and sprinkle with remaining apple blossom.

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8 thin slices brown or black bread, crusts removed, or slices of Focaccia
Softened unsalted Butter to taste
1/4 pound cream cheese, beaten until light and fluffy
1 1/2 cups pesticide-free Nasturtium flowers and leaves, rinsed well and patted dry

Thinly spread each slice of bread with the butter. Top half the buttered slices with the cream cheese, spreading it into an even layer. Decoratively arrange the flowers over the cream cheese, making sure to extend some of the petals over the edges of the bread. Cover with the remaining bread, pressing it into place. Cut each sandwich into four triangles. Makes 4 sandwiches.
Borrowed from Victoria's On-Line Cookbook

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Don't hurry. Don't worry. You're only here for a short visit. So be sure to stop and smell the flowers.
Walter C. Hagen (1892-1969)
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1 quart Water
2 handfuls Jasmine Flowers
1/4 pound Sugar

Take two handfuls of Jasmine flowers and put them into a flagon or earthen pot. Put to them about a quarter of fair water and a quarter of a pound of sugar. Let this stand and steep for about half an hour, then take your water and flowers and pour them out of one vessel into another till such time as the water hath taken scent and the taste of the flowers. Then set it in a cool place and you will find it a most excellent scented water.
Giles Rose, Master Cook, for Charles II, 1682

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1 16-ounce package Fettuccine
1 cup Butter
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Rosemary Flowers

Cook noodles in a large saucepan according to label directions or until tender, but chewy; drain well in a colander. Cream 2/3 cup of the butter in a heavy bowl with a large spoon; gradually beat in 2/3 cup of cheese alternately with 1/4 cup of heavy cream; continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Place the remaining 1/2 cup butter in in same saucepan; return drained noodles to pan; toss gently over low heat, until butter is melted and noodles are evenly coated. Gradually add rosemary flowers, whipped butter-cheese mixture, tossing gently over very low heat; add remaining 1/4 cup cream, then remaining 1/3 cup cheese. Toss gently and serve immediately with a green salad.

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But pleasures are like poppies spread,
You seize the flower, its bloom is shed;
Or, like the snow-fall in the river,
A moment white, then melts forever.
Robert Burns

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2 Belgian Endives, trimmed and separated into leaves
1 head of Bibb Lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces, rinsed, and patted dry
1/4 cup Pine Nuts
4 mature pesticide-free Roses, petals
1/4 cup light Olive Oil
6 tablespoons Raspberry Vinegar
Salt to taste

Divide the endive leaves among 4 chilled salad plates, arranging them decoratively, top with the Bibb lettuce, then sprinkle with the pine nuts and rose petals. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil into the vinegar and season to taste with salt. Drizzle the dressing over the salads. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
Borrowed from Victoria's On-line Cookbook

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9 gallons Water
27 pounds Sugar
18 Seville Oranges
27 quarts Dandelion flowers
1 ounce hops
1/2 pound brown ginger
12 lemons
Orange and Lemon peels to taste
Yeast

To make nine gallons of wine boil twenty-seven quarts of pips in nine gallons of water for an hour. Strain and boil again with 13 1/2 pounds best Demerara sugar, 1 hops, brown ginger, and sufficient orange and lemon peel to taste. Slice oranges and lemons, and put to them 13 1/2 pounds sugar as above. Pour over them, and boiling beyond when blood warm, add a little brewer's yeast. Strain again before putting into a barrel. The wine should be allowed to work three or four days before being bunged tight. Bottle in six months. Like a sharp liqueur.
Recipe borrowed from: From Travels round our Village, by E. G. Hayden.

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When roses cease to bloom, dear,
And violets are done,
When bumble-bees in solemn flight
Have passed beyond the sun,
The hand that paused to gather
Upon this summer's day
Will idle lie, in Auburn,--
Then take my flower, pray!
Emily Dickinson, With a Flower.

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1 1/2 pounds Asparagus, trimmed
8 Scallion stems
2 tablespoons softened unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons grated Lemon peel
2 tablespoons fresh Lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh Thyme blossoms

In a steamer, steam the asparagus with the scallion stems until crisp-tender. Drain. Divide asparagus into four bundles and tie each bundle with two scallion stems. Transfer bundles to serving plate. In a small bowl, combine butter, lemon peel, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the thyme blossoms. Spoon over asparagus and garnish with remaining thyme blossoms. Serves 4.
Borrowed from Victoria's On-Line Cookbook

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2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoons Flour
2 cups Milk
2 cups Dandelion Flowers
1/8 teaspoon Celery Seed
1/8 teaspoon Thyme
Bay Leaf

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Stir in the milk a little at a time until smooth. Mix in the dandelions, celery seed, thyme, and bay leaf. Simmer until the flowers are tender, 15-20 minutes.
Recipe from A Kitchen Witch's Cookbook

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But pleasures are like poppies spread,
You seize the flower, its bloom is shed;
Or, like the snow-fall in the river,
A moment white, then melts forever.
Robert Burns

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2 cups Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Rosemary flowers or flowering tops, chopped
1/2 cup Walnuts or Hazelnuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup heavy Cream
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Pinch Sugar
Crackers

Allow the cream cheese to soften; add the Rosemary flowers or flowering tops, nuts, cream, salt, and sugar. Blend together with a wooden spoon; chill. Serve with crackers.
From the Flower Cook-Book by Adrienne Crowhurst,1973.

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4 cups freshly squeezed Tangerine juice
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons Sugar
2 tablespoons minced Lavender flowers
Rose petals, Pesticide-free
Mint leaves as an accompaniment, if desired

In a non-reactive saucepan set over moderate heat, heat 2 cups of the tangerine juice with the sugar, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Add the lavender, bring to a boil, and simmer 20 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes. Strain juice through a fine sieve into a bowl. Stir in remaining juice, then transfer to an ice-cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions. If desired, serve with fresh pesticide-free rose petals and mint leaves. Makes about 1 quart.
Borrowed from Victoria's On-Line Cookbook

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To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower
Hold infinity in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour.
William Blake

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1 tablespoon Yeast
2 cups Flour
2 Eggs
1 cup Marigold petals
1 cup Raisins
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup soft Butter
3 tablespoons Sugar
Melted Butter

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Dissolve the yeast in 1/3 cup lukewarm water; stir into the flour and sugar. Set to rise overnight. The next morning, add the eggs, Marigold petals, raisins, and salt. Blend well to form a stiff dough. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic--about 10 minutes. Set the dough in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk. Work in the soft butter with your hands; let rise again until doubled in bulk. Shape into round buns; let rise again on a large, buttered cookie sheet or a large baking pan. Bake until a light golden-brown (about 25 minutes). Bush tops with melted butter.
From the Flower Cook-Book by Adrienne Crowhurst,1973.

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1 tablespoon sweet/unsalted Butter
20 Dandelion buds
4 Eggs
1 tablespoon water
4 Dandelion flowers

Melt butter in a 10-inch frying pan over medium heat. Add buds, cooking until they start to open into flowers. Whisk the eggs and water until the mixture is light and frothy. Slowly pour the eggs into the cooked buds, stirring gently as the eggs set. Cook to desired consistency. Serve garnished with dandelion flowers.
Borrowed from "Edible Flowers: From Garden to Palate"by Cathy Wilkinson Barash

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Whenever evil befalls us, we ought to ask ourselves, after the first suffering, how we can turn it into good. So shall we take occasion, from one bitter root, to raise perhaps many flowers.
Leigh Hunt

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6 or 8 Squash Blossoms
4 eggs
Milk, a little
2 green onions
1 or 2 Baby Squash, thinly sliced

Pick blossoms and baby yellow or green summer squash. Rinse blossoms well and drain on paper towels. Beat 4 eggs with a little milk. Add, if desired, fresh chopped parsley and snipped chives. Salt and pepper to taste. In a non stick pan, sauté onions, baby squash,in a little butter just till soft. Then, and be quick about it, saute the blossoms BRIEFLY (about 30 seconds). Remove from pan. Pour egg mix into pan, sprinkle and arrange the onions, squash and blossoms on top, and cook over low to medium heat till almost set. Sprinkle with Asiago cheese, and put under the broiled till lightly puffed and browned - not long, watch it! Serve immediately. Serves two.
Recipe from the Inkeepers at the Deer Run Ranch Bed & Breakfast, Carson City, Nevada

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1 1/2 pounds Asparagus, trimmed
8 Scallion stems
2 tablespoons softened unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons grated Lemon peel
2 tablespoons fresh Lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh Thyme blossoms

In a steamer, steam the asparagus with the scallion stems until crisp-tender. Drain. Divide asparagus into four bundles and tie each bundle with two scallion stems. Transfer bundles to serving plate. In a small bowl, combine butter, lemon peel, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the thyme blossoms. Spoon over asparagus and garnish with remaining thyme blossoms. Serves 4.
Borrowed from Victoria's On-Line Cookbook

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Yet, no -- not words, for they
But half can tell love's feeling;
Sweet flowers alone can say
What passion fears revealing.
A once bright rose's wither'd leaf
A tow'ring lily broken, -
Oh, these may paint a grief
No words could e'er have spoken.
Thomas Moore (1779-1850), The Language of Flowers

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1/4 cup Oil
1/4 cup Water
3 tablespoons Onion, finely chopped
2 small Carrots, cut inch 1/2 inch strips
6 fully closed Sunflower buds, leafy parts removed
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons Lemon juice
Pinch of Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Fennel, chopped
1 teaspoon Parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon Tarragon
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup green Peas, fresh or frozen

In a large saucepan, ass the oil to the water; add the onion and carrots and boil gently for 5 minutes. Add the Sunflower buds, wine, lemon juice, sugar, herbs, and the salt and pepper. Simmer slowly for 45 minutes. Add the peas 5 minutes before cooking time is finished. Serve hot or cold.
From the Flower Cook-Book by Adrienne Crowhurst,1973.

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15 Dandelion flowers, rinsed in water but still slightly moist
1/2 cup Flour
2 tablespoons Butter

Dredge moist flowers in flour. Heat butter in a heavy frying pan. Add flowers Dredge moist flowers in flour. Heat butter in a heavy frying pan. Add flowers and fry quickly, turning to brown all sides. Serve hot. Close your eyes and pop on eof these crisp goodies into your mouth. Would you believe it was a dandelion and not a fried mushroom?
Borrowed from "Edible Flowers: From Garden to Palate" by Cathy Wilkinson Barash

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What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet
Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet

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1 15-ounce round Brie cheese, or similar cheese
Rose petals, pesticide-free rinsed and patted dry to taste
1 envelope unflavored Gelatin
1/4 cup cold Water
2 cups Dry White Wine

Remove the rind from the top of the cheese, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Arrange rose petals on and around Brie wheel. In a small bowl, soften gelatin in the 1/4 cup cold water for 5 minutes. In a saucepan set over moderate heat, combine white wine with softened gelatin and heat, stirring, until gelatin is dissolved. Transfer to a bowl and let cool, stirring. Gently brush flowers and cheese with gelatin mixture and chill until set. Serve with crackers. Serves about 12.
Borrowed from Victoria's On-Line Cookbook

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4 hard-boiled Egg yolks
2 tablespoons Orange Flower water
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup sweet Butter, softened
1 pound Noodles (any kind), cooked
1 teaspoon dried Thyme
1 teaspoon dried sweet Basil
1 Orange, sliced (garnish)

Beat the egg yolks, sugar, butter, thyme, basil, and orange water in a small bowl until smooth. Mix enough of the butter with the hot noodles to coat the noodles with a golden-yellow color. Garnish with orange slices. Yield: 8 Servings
Borrowed from Wisteria's Faery Recipes

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Gather ye rosebuds while you may,
Old time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles today,
Tomorrow will be dying.
Robert Herrick (1591-1670), To Virgins, to Make Much of Time

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3 long cucumbers
Salt
1/2 pint Sour Cream
2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Celery Seed
1/4 cup chopped Scallions
1 teaspoon Sugar
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup young Borage flowers and leaves, finely chopped

Wash, score and thinly slice cucumbers. Salt lightly and let stand in a colander for 30 minutes to drain. Rinse and pat dry. Mix remaining ingredients, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Add cucumbers and toss lightly. Garnish with borage flowers. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

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1/2 Onion
2 garlic Cloves
1/4 cup of Oil
2 boiled peeled Tomatoes
8 ounces of fresh Mushrooms
6 cups of Chicken broth
1 cup Barley
3 handfuls of zucchini flower
3 tablespoons Beer
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup soft fresh Cheese

Fry the minced onion and garlic in hot oil. Add the crushed tomatoes and mushrooms, when it is well fried, add the broth, barley, zucchini flower, salt, and pepper and let it boil till the vegetables are well cooked and add the beer. Serve with slices of fresh cheese.

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Gather ye rosebuds while you may,
Old time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles today,
Tomorrow will be dying.
Robert Herrick (1591-1670), To Virgins, to Make Much of Time

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6 Doves
3 Red Roses
Salt and Pepper
Sauce
12 Red Roses
2 tablespoons Anise
12 Chestnuts
2 cloves Garlic
2 teaspoons Butter
2 tablespoons Honey
Salt, to taste
2 drops Attar of Roses

The dove should be immersed in the sauce for ten minutes to infuse them with the flavour, and then removed. Truss the dove, so that the bird keeps a nice shape after being browned in butter and sprinkled with salt and pepper to taste Truss the dove, so that the bird keeps a nice shape after being browned in butter and sprinkled with salt and pepper to taste. Bake the dove in a moderately hot oven for about 20 minutes, until they are well browned and tender, then leave them to stand. The doves are placed on a platter, the sauce is poured over them, and they are garnished with a single perfect rose in the center and rose petals scattered around the outside; or they can be served in individual dishes instead of a platter.
Sauce
Remove the petals carefully from the roses. After the petals are removed from the roses, they are ground with the anise in a mortar. Add these to the chestnut puree. To thicken the sauce slightly, you may add two teaspoons of cornflower. Last, strain through a fine sieve and add no more than two drops of attar of roses since otherwise it might have too strong a flavour and smell. As soon as the seasoning has been added, remove the sauce from the heat. Separately, brown the chestnuts in a pan, remove the skins and cook them in water. Then, puree them. Mince the garlic and brown slightly in butter until it is transparent. Mix in honey and all other ingredients together.

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Clover Blossoms
4 ounces fresh Butter
Bread

Put a layer of Red Rose-petals in the bottom of a jar or covered dish, put in fresh butter wrapped in waxed paper. Cover with a thick layer of clover blossom-petals. Cover closely and leave in a cool place overnight. The more fragrant the flowers, the finer the flavour imparted. Cut bread in thin strips or circles, spread each with the perfumed butter and place several petals from fresh Clover blossoms between the slices, allowing edges to show.

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Flowers never emit so sweet and strong a fragrance as before a storm. When a storm approaches thee, be as fragrant as a sweet-smelling flower.
Jean Paul Richter

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1 cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon powered Cloves
Pinch of Salt
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
2 cups Milk
2 tablespoons melted Butter
1 cup Coltsfoot petals
1 tablespoon Cooking Oil
Honey, maple, or elderberry syrup
Butter

Sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and sugar; blend in the egg. Add the milk gradually to the flour mixture, blending well. Add the melted butter. Beat the batter until fairly smooth. Add the Coltsfoot petals and stir. Heat the oil in a skillet until quite hot. Pour a quarter of a cup of the batter into the skillet; cook until bubbles form on the top; turn over and cook briefly on the other side, until a light golden brown. Serve with honey, maple, or elderberry syrup and butter.
From the Flower Cook-Book by Adrienne Crowhurst,1973.

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Fettuccine:
3 cups all-purpose Flour
4 large Eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered Saffron
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
Lemon-Lavender Sauce:
1 1/2 cups Dry White Wine
2 Shallots, minced
20 sprigs of fresh Lavender
1 cup heavy Cream
Juice of 1 Lemon, or to taste
Salt to taste
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted Butter, cut into pieces
Rind of one Lemon, cut into very fine julienne strips

Fettuccine:
Mound the flour on a work surface and make a well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and saffron. Pour the egg mixture into the well along with the salt and olive oil and gradually work in the flour until a dough is formed. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and let rest 15 minutes. Quarter the dough and, while working with one piece at a time, knead and roll the dough on a pasta machine to the lowest setting. With the fettuccine attachment, cut the dough into strands and transfer to a lightly floured baking sheet.
Lemon-Lavender Sauce:
In a small saucepan set over moderate heat, combine the white wine, shallots, and 12 of the lavender sprigs. Reduce the mixture to 2/3 cup. Add heavy cream and again reduce to 2/3 cup. Strain the sauce into another saucepan and add the lemon juice and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer over low heat and whisk in the butter, a little at a time, until butter is completely incorporated. Keep warm. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the fettuccine until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add the sauce and lemon rind and toss to combine. Garnish with the remaining lavender. Serves 4.
Borrowed from Victoria's On-Line Cookbook

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If I had known sooner that flowers could be sent,
My own true love might not have went.
FTD customer

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Elderflower Vinegar

2 pounds Elderflower, dried
2 pints Vinegar

Take Elderflower, pluck carefully their stalks from them and dry them carefully and thoroughly. Place in a large vessel and pour over the vinegar. Close the vessel hermetically, keep it in a very warm place and shake them from time to time. After 8 days, strain the vinegar through a paper filter. Keep in well-stoppered bottles.

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3 pounds ripe Tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 pounds Sugar
1/2 cup fresh Lemon juice
6 sprigs fresh Lavender, with blossoms

In heavy large nonreactive pot, combine tomatoes, sugar, lemon juice and lavender. Mix well. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, until tomatoes break down and the mixture becomes jelly-like, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir and skim off foam, discarding lavender. Ladle tomato mixture into 5 or 6 sterilized half-pint-canning jars with a sprig of lavender in each. Seal. Cool to room temperature on rack. Store in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks. Serve with cream cheese and crackers or toasted English Muffins. Makes 3 pints.

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1/2 pound shelled Pistachio Nuts, ground
3 tablespoons Sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons Rose Water
1/2 pound Filo dough
1/2 cup low-calorie Margarine, melted
Rose Water Syrup
Whole Cloves

Combine pistacho nuts, sugar, cinnamon and rose water in small bowl. Using half of filo sheets (cover remaining with plastic wrap to prevent from drying out), place 3 sheets in bottom of lightly greased 13x9" baking sheet. Brush with some of margarine. Sprinkle evenly with nut mixture. Place remaining sheets over nut filling, brushing after every third sheet and top sheet. Cut baklava at 1-1/2" intervals diagonally to form pattern of about 35 rectangles shapes. Bake at 400'F. 25 minutes or until golden. Place on wire rack to cool. Drip Rose Water Syrup evenly over top and allow to soak several hours. Stud each rectangle-shape with whole clove.

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Flowers are the beautiful hieroglyphics of nature by which she indicates how much she loves us.
Johann Von Goerthe, (1749-1832)

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4 cups white, unbleached Flour
1 cup Cornmeal
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Lavender
8 ounces warm nonfat Milk, heated to 85 degrees
1 tablespoon fresh Yeast
1 cup warm Water
1 tablespoon Honey
2 whole Eggs, beaten

Method

Add yeast to the water and honey and let it sit in a warm place until foamy, then add the beaten eggs. Combine wet and dry ingredients and knead for 8 minutes. Set in a warm place and allow the dough to rise until it doubles in volume. Then, punch down and form into desired shape. Let the dough mixture rise again until it has doubles in size and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Baking time will vary depending on the shape and size of the loaf. It is done when it looks light brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
From Cyber Diet.Com, http://www.cyberdiet.com/cgi-bin/uncgi/ddf

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To be overcome by the fragrance of flowers is a delectable form of defeat.
Beverly Nichols, English writer

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There are hundreds of flowers and plants that have been used to make herbal teas. Teas are made primarily in two ways: Infusion is where you steep in a liquid without boiling for the purpose of extracting flavor or other useful qualities. Decoction is where you extract flavor or other useful qualities by boiling it in a liquid. Teas from flowering plants may be made from the flowers, leaves, seeds, or roots. The below list contains the name of the plant and the method used to make the tea.

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An exquisite invention this,
Worthy of 1ove's most honeyed kiss, -
This art of writing billet-doux
In buds, and odours, and bright hues!
In saying all one feels and thinks
In clever daffodils and pinks;
In puns of tulips, and in phrases
Charming for their truth, of daisies!
Growing one's own choice words and fancies
In orange tubs, and beds of pansies;
One's sighs and passionate declarations
In odorous rhetoric of carnations; . . .
Taking due care one's flowers of speech
To guard from blight as well as bathos
And watering, every day, one's pathos.
Leigh Hunt (1784-1859), Love letters made of flowers

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The acacia tree is foreign; it grows in Egypt. From it we have two drugs; the Acacia juice, like liquorice juice, hard and black. Also the Gum Arabic; both astringent, useful in stranguries, and in coughs, hoarseness, etc. Given as a solution. An ounce boiled in a quart of barley water, or in powder as an electuary…Gum Arabic powdered, or in thick solution, is a good application for burns and excoriations…combined with powdered resin, it is a good styptic. As diet it is nutritious.
M. Robinson,M.D., The New Family Herbal and Botanic Physician

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Take the flowers of lily of the valley and steep them in New Wine for the space of a month; which being finished, take them out again and distil the wine three times over in a Limbeck. The wine more precious than gold, for if any one htat is troubled with apoplexy drink thereof with six grains of Pepper and a little Lavender water they shall not need to fear it that moneth.
William Coles,1657

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And then she took him into a room of the eighteenth century, which no longer exists there, or elsewhere save in name. It was the Still-room, and on its shelves stood the elixirs, and the cordials of ancient time: the Current-gin to fortify the stomach on a raw morning before crossing the Roads; the Cherry Brandy for a cold and stormy night; the Elder-berry wine, good, mulled and spiced at Christmastime; the Blackberry wine; the homemade Distilled waters, Lavender water, Hungary water, Cyprus water, and the Divine Cordial itself, which takes three seasons to complete, and requires the flowers of Spring, Summer, and Autumn.
Water Besant, Armorel of Lyonese,Harpers, 1890.

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The flowering end of Cat-Tail, very tender in the spring are eaten raw, or when boiled in water make a good soup. The root is eaten in salad. The Cossack of the Don peal off the outer cuticle of the stalk and eat raw the tender white part of the stem extending about 18 inches from the root. It has a somewhat insipid, but pleasant and cooling taste.
Horce Kelphart, Book of Camping and Woodcraft, 1906

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And poppy will erect her tufted head;
And earth be with a thousand beauties spread;
In this one flow'r her wealthy pride she shows,
In this one flow'r which she to Ceres owes;
Some silver-white, some dy'd with scarlet stains
Their lofty heads unite t'enrich the plains;
The seeds when pressed afford a juice,
Pow'rful in med'cine famous and of sov'ereign use
Or bind the stubborn cough, and ease the lab'ring breast.
Rapin

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This is the famous plant sung by poets and celbrated by orators. This plant reasoned about by philosphers, with the utmost subtlety, praised by physicians for its marvelous value. Sought for eagerly by the sick, wondered at by the theologians, and venerated by all pious Christians.
Aldinus, Physican to Cardinal Farnese, 1600

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Gentle readers be descreet in your generation and gather to yourselves great armsful of never-dying Borage, and bravely plunge it into wine, where it cannot but be good...it increaseth wit, and memorie, engendereth good blood, maketh a man merrie, and joyfull, and putteth away all melancholie, and madness.
John Swan, Spectrum Mundi, 1643

The leaf of the borage hath an excellent spirit to repress the fuliginous vapours of dusky melancholy and so cure madness…It will make a sovereign drink for melancholy passions.
Sir Francis, Lord Bacon

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Sage who by many virtues gains't renoun
Sage whose deserts all happy mortals own
Since thou, dear Sage, preserv'st the memory
I cannot sure forgetful prove of thee.
Abraham Cowley

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The distilled water of roses is good for the strengthening of the heart and refreshing of the spirits and likewise in all things that require gentle cooling. The same being put in dishes, cakes, sawces, and many other pleasant things, giveth a fine and delectable taste. It bringe the sleep which also the fresh roses themselves promote through their sweet and pleasant smell.
John Gerard, The Herball, 1597

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If they would drink nettles in March,
And eat mugwort in May,
So many fine maidens
Wouldn't go beneath the clay.
Michael Denham, Proverbs, 1846

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The Hollyhock disdains the common size
Of Herbs, and like a tree do'd proudly rise;
Proud she appears, but try her, and you'll find
No plant more mild, or friendly to mankind.
She gently all obstructions do's unbind.
Abraham Cowley

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Rosemary is good for many things: it will make the hair grow, it is a nerve tonic and stomache, will cure vertigo, stenghtens sight and memory, and is a cordial for the heart.
Traditional Lore

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I judge that the flowers of Lavender quilted in a cap and dayly worne are good for all diseases of the head that come of a common cold cause and they comfort the braine very well.
William Turner, A Newe Herball, 1551

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From the bonny bells of heather,
They brewed a drink longsyne,
Was sweeter far than honey,
Was stronger far than wine.
Robert Louis Stevenson

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