Spring Plant Guide

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Spring Plant

Guide recipes and tips for Friend of Edible Flats

edible Columbus FOLSOM & PINE

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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

Sorrel Lime Cooler

Recipe adapted from Sarah Copeland’s forthcoming book, “Feast” 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 – www.thekitchn.com

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 completely dissolved and the mixture is clear. Remove from the heat and put the saucepan in a larger container 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 Âź 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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