{"id":57337,"date":"2016-08-25T15:00:59","date_gmt":"2016-08-25T19:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/improvisedlife.com\/?p=57337"},"modified":"2018-08-02T23:02:33","modified_gmt":"2018-08-03T03:02:33","slug":"edible-flowers-foraging-feastings-essential-info-wondrous-recipes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/improvisedlife.com\/2016\/08\/25\/edible-flowers-foraging-feastings-essential-info-wondrous-recipes\/","title":{"rendered":"Edible Flowers: Foraging & Feasting’s Essential Info + Wondrous Recipes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of my life’s quests has been to eat as many flowers as possible.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When we read Dina Falconi<\/a>‘s words\u00a0in her wonderful Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook<\/a>, illustrated by Wendy Hollender<\/a> (which we wrote about here<\/a>), we thought:\u00a0Now there’s a quest after our own hearts<\/em>. We wrote\u00a0her to see if we might excerpt her Leaf & Flower Custard Ice Cream Master Recipe and to find out which flowers are available in late summer, either in wild areas and gardens or in farmer’s markets. Here’s all the info you need to use edible flowers in your cooking.<\/p>\n

\"Foraging<\/a>
Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wild and tame edible flowers\u00a0are lovely thrown into salads, used as charming garnishes for desserts, blended into sweet butter with or without herbs (1 pound butter to 1\/2 cup tightly packed fresh flowers or finely minced herbs<\/em>) and, as Falconi\u00a0shows in her ice cream recipe (with MANY riffs) below,\u00a0infused into cream. We were thinking: why not use that technique to make a herb and\/or flower-infused cream or milk for custards, whipped cream or a simple\u00a0milkshake<\/a>…? <\/strong>And sure enough Falconi has a recipe for Herb Infused Meadow Custard as well as Herb Infused Whipped Cream. The book is a TROVE.<\/p>\n

There are MANY flowers to explore; witness Foraging & Feasting’s master list. If you find\u00a0any growing UNSPRAYED in your garden, taste one!<\/p>\n

\"Foraging<\/a>
Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Here is Dina’s list of\u00a0flowers that are available in temperate regions in August and September:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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There are many edible flowers to be found in August into Sept., although the ones we feature in the Edible Wild Flower Poster (at top) are mostly available earlier in the growing season.<\/em><\/p>\n

The ones still to be found from the poster are rosa rugosa, purslane,<\/strong> and mallow (Malva neglecta); sometimes red clover and the monardas too.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Not in the poster, but plants we feature in the book whose flowers can be found now are: all the mints, anise hyssop, day flower, hollyhock mallow, lemon balm,\u00a0star chickweed, musk mallow, wild lettuce, wood sorrel<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

And there still many more edible flowers listed on page 102 of our book, many of which are available right now, for example borage, chicory, calendula, nasturtiums, swamp rose mallow, rose of sharon, squash blossoms, and the flowers of the culinary herbs (basil, thyme, savory, etc)<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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We’re often unsure just which parts of a flower we can eat and found Dina’s instructions really helpful:<\/p>\n

\"Foraging
Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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You can download and print\u00a0Foraging & Feasting’s Leaf & Flower Ice Cream Recipe PDF<\/a>, or follow the instructions here:<\/p>\n

Leaf & Flower Custard Ice Cream Master Recipe<\/b><\/p>\n

Makes one quart<\/p>\n

By infusing aromatic leaves and flowers into the custard base we can create unusual flavors, producing perfumed and subtle-scented ice creams such as rose, or more robust flavors like peppermint. The more plant material used, the stronger the flavor. Additionally, the longer we steep the leaves and flowers in the custard base, the stronger the flavors. However at some point certain plants may impart a bitter or astringent note that may not be desirable. Also be aware that the heated cream and milk can rot outside of refrigeration, so if steeping for longer than an hour, reheat the mixture to a gentle simmer for a few seconds after each hour passes. Reheating will also increase the flavors released by the plants. Most likely you’ll want to use sweet, floral, minty or fruity smelling plants for making ice cream, but you can use any edible aromatic \u2014 even pungent or spicy ones such as garlic, ginger or sage \u2014 to create surprising taste variations.<\/i><\/p>\n