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jpg Pe-
rennials Perennials
Spring Plant
Guide recipes and tips for Friend of Edible Flats
edible Columbus
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Perennials
Herbs are hardy and low maintenance (spearmint, lemon thyme, strawberries,
lavender, dianthus, dill, chives, rosemary, sorrel, loveage)
• ROSEMARY
recommend wintering over in a sunny place inside; water
sparingly
• MINT
recommend keeping in a pot or confined area as it will
spread and is difficult to eliminate
• SORREL
best in early spring
• LOVEAGE
root, leaves, and seeds are all used
• LAVENDER
dead head the flowers in the early spring
• DIANTHUS
shear off the flowers; you can do that in July and it will
rebloom
• CHIVES
cut them anytime; they spread from the seed
Recipe adapted from Sarah Copeland’s forthcoming book, “Feast”
Sorrel Lime Cooler
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup thinly sliced sorrel leaves
4 limes, quartered, plus 4 thin rounds, for garnish
40 ounces seltzer, chilled
Splash of gin (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Combine agave nectar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring. Let
syrup cool completely, then transfer to a blender and puree with sorrel until smooth. Pour syrup through a
fine sieve into a bowl and discard solids.
Squeeze lime quarters into a large pitcher. Add quarters to pitcher and gently smash with the back of a
wooden spoon to release the oils in the rind. Add sorrel syrup and seltzer. Serve over ice, garnished with
lime rounds and other garden-inspired herbs.
Majority
of herbs
require full
sun and dry
soil; all will
do great in
a container
or in the
ground.
Annuals
Use edible flowers as garnishes in salads, on elegant plates as decorations on
platters of canapés. They are lovely floating in a summer cocktail or in a chilled
soup. They make a beautiful display on a wheel of brie.
• STARFLOWER
GOOD COMPANION PLANT FOR TOMATOES AND
STRAWBERRIES; IMPROVES THE FLAVOR OF TOMATOES
GROWING NEARBY
• BASIL
PINCH OFF THE BUDS TO PREVENT THE PLANT FROM
GOING TO SEED AS THE FLAVOR WILL CHANGE
• STEVIA
PINCH BACK - KEEP BUSHY RATHER THAN LEGGY
• NASTURTIUM
EAT BOTH THE LEAVES AND THE FLOWERS
• DIANTHUS
SHEAR OFF THE FLOWERS IN JULY AND IT WILL REBLOOM
• CHERVIL
PARSLEY FAMILY; UNLIKE OTHER HERBS, CHERVIL PREFERS A
COOL AND MOIST LOCATION. HARVEST REGULARLY
Preserving
Herbs Keep herbs fresh by growing them
yourself and only picking when needed.
How to Preserve
herbs in Oil or
Butter
The best way to preserve herbs is to freeze them in oil. Lots of
recipes start with oil so you can take a cube of frozen herbs and
use this to start your dish. This method of preservation works best
with tougher herbs – such as rosemary, sage, oregano and thyme.
From The Kitchn – [Link]
1. Choose firm, fresh herbs picked at the height of the season.
2. You can chop them fine or leave in larger sprigs.
3. Pack ice cube trays about 2/3 full of herbs. You can mix herbs – think of
freezing a bouquet garni of sage, thyme, and rosemary to add to winter roast
chicken and potatoes.
4. Pour extra virgin olive oil or melted, unsalted butter over the herbs.
5. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
6. Remove the frozen cubes and store in freezer containers or small bags.
Don’t forget to label each container or bag with the type of
herb and oil inside.
There are multiple ways to use fresh herbs – chop a variety and add them to
lettuces for an interesting salad., mint and basil are lovely together. Eggs and
herbs are a great combination. Pasta is delicious topped with pesto or an
herb and olive oil mixture – cream sauces gain more flavor when fresh herbs are
added.
Basil is not the only herb used for pesto – try parsley and
toasted pumpkin seeds instead of basil and pine nuts.
Add fresh herbs to honey to infuse extra flavor. Add lemon thyme to honey – it is
ideal for pulling out when you have a cough or cold. Lavender also is wonderful
infused in honey. To infuse honey – fill a clean mason jar halfway with fresh herbs
or a quarter full with dried herbs. Top with honey, stir and put on tight fitting lid.
Place in a sunny window and turn over once a day for a week. Then strain out
herbs and label jar. Lavender honey is great on scones and ice cream!
Bundle up small bouquets of herbs and decorate your
summer table or counter with a pretty bouquet from your garden.
Edible F
lowers
Flowers are beautiful garnishing a glass of champagne, or
infusing their flavor into creme brulee.
Wheel of Brie with Edible Flowers
Edible flowers or herbs
Cheese
2 cups dry white wine
1 envelope of unflavored gelatin
Lay the flowers and herbs flat on top of the cheese in the presentation you want to display them. Then
remove the flowers and herbs, lay them aside in the pattern you want to display them.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the white wine and gelatin. Stir until gelatin is com-
pletely dissolved and the mixture is clear. Remove from the heat and put the saucepan in a larger con-
tainer filled with ice and a little water (an ice bath). Stir slowly so you don’t create bubbles. If it gets to
thick you can reheat and repeat.
Place the cheese in a dish to catch the drippings from your glaze.
Spoon glaze over the cheese and spread evenly. After a few minutes it will become tacky to the touch,
then you can “paste” on your flowers in the design pattern you planned.
Refrigerate about 15 minutes, then remove from the fridge and spoon more glaze over the flowers.
Make as many layers of glaze necessary to cover your decorations. Serve with crackers.
Edible Flower Ice Cubes
To make edible flower ice cubes – use a bigger mold because the ice cubes will melt slower
in drinks. Silicon molds work great and it is easier to dislodge them. To achieve clearer cubes,
start with distilled water. Bring water to a boil for 2-3 minutes, and then allow water to cool
completely before pouring over flowers and freezing. Flowers will impart a slight floral taste.
Dried Edible Flowers
Dried flowers are wonderful to add to sugar, as a topping for confections, seeping with black
loose leaf tea for a floral black tea and they can be tossed in salads. To dry petals leave
on a parchment covered cookie sheet in a single layer leave them out on counter for a
week – every day toss them with your fingertips to turn them. After you think they are dry let dry
a few more days and then transfer to a jar with a tight fitting lid.
Zucchini Salad with
basil vinaigrette & fresh
mozzarella balls
Shave zucchini with a vegetable peeler into ribbons – put in a
colander and salt generously let rest for 30 minutes - combine with
basil vinaigrette and mozzarella balls. Garnish with edible flowers.
Basil Vinaigrette
Combine a big handful of basil with ¼ cup of olive oil. Combine in
a food processor until well blended, season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle over zucchini salad.
Ingredients
1 shallot, roughly chopped
2 cups tightly packed basil leaves, stems removed (about 4
ounces)
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients for the basil vinaigrette in a food
processor and blend for 60 seconds until very smooth. Taste and
adjust salt and pepper as needed. Toss vinaigrette with zucchini.
You can refrigerate the vinaigrette for up to three days.
Cocktail
Garden
every great drink starts with fresh herbs
Stevia Simple Syrup
Stevia Is magical as it makes the best simple syrup. Combine a good handful of leaves with a cup of
water and heat until boiling, reduce to simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool down and steep
for 30 minutes. Use in iced tea, cocktails and drizzled over fruit with mint leaves.
Kentucky Colonel Spearmint
This spearmint has a large leaf on a robust plant that is the basis for the southern drink the mint julep. It
can be used in any recipe calling for spearmint, including mint sauce and mint jelly.
Honey Thai Basil Vodka Collins
1.5 ounces vodka
couple of leaves of basil
1 ounce lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
Mix 1 tablespoon of honey with 2 tablespoons of boiling water to make a honey simple syrup. Roll basil
leaves into a cigar and cut in long strips (Chiffonade). Put the vodka, lime juice, thai basil, and simple
syrup in a shaker with some ice. Shake for a minute, pour into a glass and garnish with a lime.
Champagne Mojito
By The Drunken Botanist
1 oz white rum
.5 oz simple syrup (see note)
.5 oz fresh squeezed-lime juice
2-3 sprigs fresh spearmint
3-4 oz sparkling wine (a dry Spanish cava works well)
Fresh or frozen strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries. Fruit can be left whole, but if the strawberries are
large slice them.
Crushed Ice
Reserve a mint sprig for garnish. In a cocktail shaker muddle the first four ingredients. Shake with ice and
strain into a champagne flute, or tall skinny Collins glass filled with a mixture of crushed ice and whole
berries. Top with 3-4 oz sparkling wine and garnish with mint.
Cheers.
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