RECIPES

FOOD BOUQUETS We’re so happy spring is here; we are celebrating with food bouquets! These creative bundles make a great gift or unique way to display food at a party as a centerpiece.

Edible Fruit Bouquet

BY MELISSA SPELTS

Edible fruit bouquets can be a fun center piece for any party. Honestly, I was surprised by how much our children liked this arrangement. My brain started thinking of more fruits that would be fun in this bouquet.

Needed items: basket, pot, or container floral foam, wooden skewers

Fruits I used in my arrangement: grapes, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, kiwi, and raspberries.

Bacon Rose Bouquet

BY KRISTINA CASE

1 pack thick-cut bacon 1 bunch fake roses toothpicks brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Start by removing flower petals from the fake flowers until you’re left with a bare, empty stem. Depending on your fake roses, you might need to insert a piece of toothpick in the middle to hold up the bacon roses. Take a strip of bacon, and, starting at one end, roll it up tightly to form a rosette and dip top in brown sugar. Secure the roll with two toothpicks, as close to the bottom of one end as you can, to form a cross. Place the rose on a wire rack on top of a foil-lined tray. Repeat with all the bacon. Bake 25 minutes, until they are well cooked and have a good color. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool, blot excess grease off and take each rose and wiggle it onto a stem. Repeat until the whole bunch is complete.

Chicken Nugget Bouquet

BY JENNY GOLDSBERRY

20 chicken nuggets 20 waffle fries 5-10 skewers

You can make some chicken nuggets by cutting up a chicken breast into 1-inch pieces. Then, whisk up an egg to dunk the chicken nuggets into and immediately roll the chicken nuggets in a mixture of flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Dip the chicken nugget in egg again and dip it into some breadcrumbs. You have the option to fry them up in oil on the stove or bake them in the oven at 400 degrees.

Waffle fries are also pretty easy. Just slice two potatoes lengthwise about ¼ inch. Take those slices and put a skewer on each side. The skewers will keep you from slicing through the potato all the way through. Make slits widthwise and then flip the slice over. Make diagonal slits on that other side. Now, when you stretch out the slice, you’ll see that classic waffle shape. Soak your fries in cold water to make them extra crisp. Coat your fries in salt and corn starch. Then, you can fry them in oil or bake them in your oven. You can always buy your fries and nuggets from any fast-food restaurant.

Take your skewers and start stabbing through the fries first, about halfway down. Those will be your “leaves.” Then, stick several nuggets on top of your fries to be your “flowers.”

Get yourself a vase to display your skewers. The bottoms of the skewers aren’t very sightly, so I added some licorice to the base to add some flare. continued on page 28

Fireweed

Young shoots can be cooked like asparagus, while young leaves can be used in salads and steeped for tea. The pith of the stem can be used to flavor and thicken stews and soups.

Camas were harvested in large quantities by Native Americans and stored for winter use. Bulbs were eaten raw or cooked.

Blue Camas

Indian Paintbrush

The blossoms of Indian paintbrush are reported to be edible but may accumulate selenium if growing in selenium-rich soils. Selenium is a trace mineral that is good for us, but too much of it can lead to poisoning. Grazing animals have been poisoned by ingesting forages grown on seleniferous soils that have accumulated selenium in relatively high concentrations. Soils containing high concentrations of selenium are commonly found in many parts of the world, including the western United States.* Based off my research, I don’t think you will be able to tell how much selenium is in the soil by instinct or the five senses alone. You probably won’t be any smarter after grabbing a handful of soil and wistfully staring into the distance as it falls back to the ground. Perhaps the Indian paintbrushes should be left for the bees.

Plantain

Young common plantain leaves are edible and nutritious. It is rich in vitamins A, C, and K. The leaves and juice have been widely used to treat insect bites, rashes, sunburn, blisters, burns, and cuts.

FORAGING FLOWERS

You can eat some of these!

BY HAILEY MINTON Aside from the Indian paintbrush, the flowers themselves aren’t necessarily edible. The flowers do serve as a way to identify these plants you can eat. The information here, unless otherwise indicated, came from the Utah State University Extension Field Guide: Wildflowers & Other Herbaceous Plants of Utah Rangelands. The digital version of the book is free online, so if you’re serious about foraging, look it up to help you make sure you’re identifying your plant species correctly. Also, keep others in mind as you forage. Try not to take away from the scenery other visitors will enjoy along the trails.

The seeds of the Lewis flax are very nutritious and edible when cooked. They have a pleasant, nutty taste.

Lewis Flax

Find the online Field Guide here: digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent. cgi?article=2768&context=extension_curall

Resources

*T. Zane Davis, Jeffery O. Hall, in Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology (Second Edition), 2017