Friday, April 20, 2007

Sugared Flowers


Beautiful magazines that promote lovely living frequently feature sugared flowers and the instructions for making them. Each spring when my violets are blooming, I think about how nice it would be to have sugared flowers. The instructions always say to take some egg white, mix with a little water, paint on petals, dip in ultra-fine sugar, and allow to dry. They also give the classic warning about the potential for salmonella, as the egg whites are only dried and not cooked. Food safety is important to me and I don't want to make anything that might cause anyone to get sick. Even though the petals are used mostly for decor, the risk is still too great. So, I've just dreamed about sugared flowers and tried to think of an alternative way to achieve the same results.
Both egg whites and egg yolks carry risk for this illness. Here's information from the Centers for Disease Control regarding salmonella and egg whites: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/salment_g.htm

2 comments:

  1. Most craft store have powdered egg whites that are samonella safe, and can be used to make the sugared flowers. Check in the aisle where they have cake decorating supplies, and go make a garden bed full of sugared flowers and fruit as well!

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  2. How pretty! I have been trying to make sugared violets without success. (And now I have cheated, I picked some up while in France.) But I will try your recipe when they are back in bloom--or perhaps on mint leaves while I wait?

    Laura F.

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