notable edibles A Palate For Petals When roadsides, yards and market stalls explode with spring flowers, keep in mind they’re not just good for bouquets. Try a salad topped with redbud blooms—they’re pretty as a parade float and crunchy-sweet. That’s just one possibility in a whole new culinary adventure: Edible flowers are fabulous for adding zip to your dinner plate. The taste of a flower ranges from spicy to sweet. Here’s a sampling of spring’s floral bounty:
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Basil: blend with Neufchatel for an herb spread Borage: freeze in ice cubes for tea Calendula: mix the bright petals with butter Daylilies: stir-fry buds, or stuff flowers (only daylilies, not ornamental lilies) Garlic chives: press into pasta dough Lavender: create a simple syrup to stir into lemonade Mint: blend into custard Pansies: paint with milk and dip in sugar Redbud blossoms: garnish a salad Roses: fold into ice cream Sage: steep in vinegar Violets: sprinkle over a stir-fry
You can purchase edible flowers at the farmers’ market stands of KG Acres (KGAcresFarmAndFeatherwerks.com) of Lebanon and Hobbit Gardens (HobbitGardens@tds.net) of Fillmore, and Sunny Creek Farm (search for the farm on Facebook) in Belleville sells foraged wild flowers upon request. Or, pick from your own (chemical-free) yard. It’s best to avoid eating flowers purchased from commercial greenhouses, —Shawndra Miller as they could be treated with chemicals.
Sip of the Past Ever wonder what your grandpa’s—or great-grandpa’s—favorite beer tasted like? Upland Brewing Co. is giving us an idea by reviving Champagne Velvet, a beloved, easy-drinking Indiana beer that had heydays before and after Prohibition. The Bloomington-based brewery, with tasting rooms in Indianapolis and Carmel (opening this spring), will debut Champagne Velvet in April with six-packs and kegs. Originally brewed by Terre Haute Brewing Co. from the early 1900s through the 1950s, Champagne Velvet was a local craft beer before that even mattered to drinkers. Eventually, it was sold across the country. Upland was still tinkering with its formula at press time, but Upland President Doug Dayhoff describes it as a full-bodied pilsner-style lager that’s light in color. Corn, a main ingredient, will give it a distinctive flavor, he says. “We’re trying to be as authentic as we can,” Dayhoff says of the recipe. Upland’s take on Champagne Velvet began with incomplete brewer’s notes found in an old logbook. The team researched the corn, barley and hops used at the time, then found today’s equivalents. Champagne Velvet is a way for Upland to mark its 15th anniversary this year, Dayhoff says, but it’s also a nod to Indiana breweries of the past. “It’s fun to remind people that this whole local beer movement is not just a new thing—it’s also a very old thing,” Dayhoff says. Details: UplandBeer.com
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edible indy
—Erica Sagon
Spring 2013
