Welcome to the Authors In Bloom Blog Hop!
| Spring is in the air and so is the scent of delightful flowers that are blooming. Natural aromatherapy is wafting on the breeze!A dear friend, long since departed, once said, “flowers represent the innocence of the earth.” I have come to believe her insight. Flowers are pure, vibrant with color, complex designs and shapes, and provide us with the ever evolving plant medicine such as aromatherapy, flower essences, and vibrational energy healing.
I’ve always been inspired by the lore of fairies and how they tend to flowers, bushes and trees. There is no doubt that certain smells trigger different memories for each of us. For instance, when jasmine ripples through the window on balmy night air, I think of pleasant evenings spent in an exotic Caribbean hideaway, or the romance and intrigue of India. Orange reminds me of my childhood, when my “perfume of choice” was cheery, bright, sunny orange blossom. I lived in Florida, home of countless orange groves. It was a happy, sunny, light-hearted time in my life so whenever I smell orange blossom today it triggers joy and that elusive sense of ‘good times’ thanks to my experiences with these flowers.
Eating flowers is a sensuous and enchanting experience, and we don’t do nearly enough of it in my opinion. Recently I bought rose syrup and lavender syrup, and pour them over all sorts of things from blueberry waffles to coconut ice cream. Here are a few edible flowery favorites, chosen by color, of course! Yellow is Dandelion, Orange is Calendula Marigold, Pink and White are Rose or Carnation, Fuchsia for Purple and Red, Lavender, Lilacs and Violets for the lighter shades of Purple. Can you imagine anything prettier than Pansies in your salad? They taste divine! Remember, only eat flowers you know are pesticide free, were grown as edible flowers and make sure you wash them thoroughly and blot them dry. If in doubt, don’t eat them! Here’s a luxurious refreshing recipe for the spring and summer season: Rose Garden Salad 5 cups of green, red and purple lettuces, dandelions, wild greens, spinach, Boston lettuce, mustard greens or whatever other greens you prefer. Just make it a good mix and toss well. 1 cup frozen (cooked) peas or fresh if you have them. 1 cup of fresh basil leaves ¼ cup of pine nuts (optional) The petals of one rose (the stronger the scent the stronger the flavor) Dressing Equal measures of approximately. 1 Tablespoon each of honey, plain or honey yogurt, olive oil, rose syrup. Mince a garlic clove and mix it in. Taste, and if you like, add the juice of half a lemon. Instructions Wash all greens and leafy ingredients and tear them into a bowl. Add peas, sliced basil leaves, pine nuts and about half the rose petals. Mix the dressing ingredients, pour over the salad and toss well. Bon appetit! Edible Flower Tips: Violets are edible, but African Violets are not considered actual violets and are not edible. Please don’t make this mistake. If you want to get into edible flowers, research the topic before you start eating flowers or offering them to others in dishes you create. Gardening Tip: There is rhyme and reason to how you plant your garden, just like you think about how to seat your guests at a dinner party. In the same way we seek harmony at the table, some plants enjoy being near each other more than others. Check into the topic of Companion Planting.
Marigolds protect tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries and roses from many pests. Chives protect your roses from many pests. Radishes can help protect cucumbers Peppermint can deter ants Yarrow attracts ladybugs, and ladybugs eat tons of pests that destroy your plants…
There is so much more, and it is a natural and fascinating way to protect your baby plants so they can grow big and nourish you and your family.
Thanks for reading my post! How magical is your garden? Do you have a green thumb or do you get your herbs, veggies and edible flowers from the local market?
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Visit each author on the list for the Authors in Bloom Hop! |
Thanks to Dianne Venetta for sponsoring this Blog Hop!
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Thanks for the recipe
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Hi bn100,
You’re welcome… Enjoy!
Gemma
Thanks for the gardening tips. I love Marigolds and didn’t know that they protect tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries and roses from pests. The same with chives, radishes, and peppermint. I don’t know what Yarrow is but I do like lady bugs. I’ll be checking out companion planting real soon. Thanks for being part of the hop and for the chance to win.
reneebennett35 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Hi Renee,
Thanks for stopping here on your hop!
It’s like garden magic, isn’t it?
Plants are like people in some ways.
They find their preferred groups and stick together.
Enjoy the blog hop!
Thanks for the tips! My garden’s very basic this year, but maybe next year I’ll throw in some flowers for garnishing. A pansy salad sounds so pretty!
Hi Mer,
I’m going to eat some pansy salads this summer.
The colors alone will be a feast for the eyes!
Enjoy blog hopping and thanks for stopping by…
I never knew Chives protected roses! I will have to start planting mine there I have a really yummy twice baked potato recipes that calls for chives and now I”m really craving it lol!
Savannah,
I’m a potato fan too, no matter what way they are cooked, I’d live on them.
Good luck on the blog hop!
I raise a small veggie garden. I have corn, beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Sharma Darby rdarby@roadrunner.com
Sounds like you have a green thumb Sharma.
There’s great satisfaction from taking your veggies straight from the ground to the kitchen, and you can’t beat the taste.
Thanks for stopping by!
I have eaten flowers, dandeilions in wine, marigolds in salads, Didn’t know i could eat my favorite flower (lilacs)… Loved your gardening tips on pairing thank you for being part of the hop.
j.m.platt83@gmail.com
Hi Jeannie,
Thanks for hopping onto my blog!
Dandelions in wine sound like great refreshment for hot summer nights.
I haven’t eaten flowers before.
bituin76 at hotmail dot com
The first time I ate flowers felt very strange, almost like I did something taboo. They are so pretty to look at, why eat them? I got over that quickly. Don’t eat them often, though. I save them for special occasions.
Thanks for commenting, Jan. Hope you’re having fun on the blog hop.
Thanks for the recipe & the gardening tips! I have eaten flowers before, but haven’t really made any of my own dishes. Must remedy that! Also, will check your To Kiss Series out, sounds like a lot of fun!
I would be open to trying edible flowers…. I think your novella looks like a great read, thank you! 🙂
oddball2003 at hotmail dot com
Mmm… yummy recipe!
Spring is bloom and I love the flowers that come along with it. The warm weather, the happy people, the blossoming of roses and sunflowers. Sunflowers have to be my favorite flowers. They are so happy reaching towards the sky. Their petals are like eyelids opening wide to look upon the great blue sky above. My mother makes the best cheesy cauliflower soup that I adore in the springtime. It’s thick and creamy and I could easily eat gallons of it!
Anyway, thanks for the giveaway!
mestith at gmail dot com
Thanks for the recipe, looks so good! I’m following you on Twitter and I hope you’ll stop by my post, too! https://twitter.com/NinetteSwann/status/324907229725749248
ninette.swann at gmail.com
never done anything with flowers as far as food goes – regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com
I’m going to look for lavender syrup now; I imagine it’s similar to violet mints, which I love. 🙂 Good to *meet* you, Gemma!
Great recipes! Sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing and being apart of this fantastic hop! 🙂
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
Congratulations to Sarah for winning the Amazon Gift Card! Thanks to for tweeting about the blog post. Thanks to everyone who participated. -Gemma
Winners are chosen at random by RaffleCopter