A GARDEN ON YOUR PLATE

If you’ve ever wanted to give your homemade culinary creations the same beauty found in fancy restaurants, Jenan Abdulla grows edible flowers in her garden, which you can use in your dishes, drinks and as cake decorations.

Green fingered Jenan has loved flowers and gardening ever since she can remember. She soon realised that blooms are not just for outdoor appreciation or to be kept in a vase at home. But they can also brighten up dishes, drinks and cakes. One can't deny that topping your dish with a flower or a unique vegetable adds a pop of colour. Jenan loves growing many unique varieties. She says: “Two of the common ones that grow easily in Bahrain are pansy, which is perfect for cakes and drinks because of its floral taste, and nasturtium flowers for salads and savoury dishes because of its radish like taste.”

Jenan also grows vegetables such as different types of tomatoes. She adds: “You can’t compare store-bought with home-grown. They [the latter] taste juicier and are full of flavour, as well as you can grow varieties that you can’t find in our local supermarkets.”

Bahrain being hot and humid makes us wonder what typical weather conditions Jenan’s flowers need. And if the local weather is conducive or special arrangements need to be made. Jenan shares: “They usually grow outdoors starting from November until May.”

Elaborating on cake decorating, she adds: “As much as flowers are beautiful, not all of them are suitable for use on food, and some are even poisonous. My advice is, never use a plant if you don't know what it is. As, if you use a toxic flower and it touches the surface of the cake, remnants on the cake can make you sick. Where your blossoms come from and how they were grown matters. All shop-bought blooms are full of pesticides and chemicals because they are not grown for cakes, even if they’re just placed on the top. If you don’t find any blooms especially during summer, you can use dried flowers that I provide or from trusted sources, or you can make some with frosting.” ✤