Wrapping The Flavors of the Season by Jennifer Schamber
YOUR ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR
MAY BLOOMS
F
lowers can be celebrated not just for their beauty, but also for their flavors. Every season delights us with an array of options to be used in culinary creations as well as cocktail sensations. The months of May, June and July present us with the best opportunity to fuse together the worlds of gardening, cooking and art, while the colors of late spring and early summer reach their peak. Exploring the realm of edible flowers opens up a pathway that leads to a true appreciation for the goodness that our gardens bestow on us. Some of the best chefs in the world are admired for their creative methods of incorporating local and seasonal ingredients in their dishes, and many of their trade secrets can be grown, cultivated and prepared right in our own gardens and kitchens. A vast range of edible flowers may already exist in your yard, from early blooming gems in the spring like pansies, redbud flowers, dandelions and chickweed, to summer season favorites, like marigolds, calendula, borage flowers, nasturtiums and zucchini blossoms. The simplest way to incorporate these unconventional edibles would be to add as tasty garnishes in a salad. Another easy trick is to use the flowers to decorate sweet treats like cupcakes. Perhaps you might want to take it up a notch? Why not try a chickweed chimichurri? Or maybe turn a simple focaccia recipe into a masterpiece by artfully arranging foraged flowers on top?
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Another beautiful way to showcase the colors and flavors of the season is by featuring them in rice paper wraps. This gardeninfluenced delicacy is inspired by Vietnamese spring rolls and truly presents itself as a work of art. See notes for recipe ideas. The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2022
