Garden Greens and Violets

Our menu for supper recently was bean enchiladas, spiced Spanish millet, and a garden green salad. It was the first meal from our garden greens. Oh, they were fresh and so delicious! There were freckled and white violets blooming nearby, so I added them in as well as some fresh curly parsley, Italian parsley, and cilantro from the herb garden. The violets were 'not' picked out of the salad at meal time --- by now my family is used to my ways.

Just think about all the vitamins and minerals in those garden fresh greens!

I used garden scissors to snip the baby greens. Since they were scatter planted, rather than placed in rows, the early harvest by snipping (not pulling) helps to thin them out and yet gives the plants opportunity to sprout new growth from the roots still in the ground.

The spring bush peas are growing, and the Cherokee bush beans have pushed their heart-shaped leaves out of the soil. Walla Walla Sweet onions are growing in two of my garden 'squares' and this week the pickling cukes and regular cucumbers have sprouted leaves through the earth. And, the beet greens are a little behind, but are coming along alright.

There is something about a garden...

And a Pansy or Two

Here we go again --- another simple table setting.
Flowers on the menu
and an uncomplicated family supper.

Romaine, mixed garden greens, tomatoes, 
sweet onions, and sugar peas were the 
ingredients for a fresh salad garnished with 
pansy, daisy, and marigold blossoms.

The flowers sure made the salad colorful 
and inviting! And, they are all edible.

The salad dressing was a quick 
homemade vinaigrette made from 
olive oil,  lemon juice, Bragg's Liquid 
Aminos (or soy sauce), salt,  stevia, 
and Italian Seasoning. Blend together  
until emulsified and then pour 
into a pretty little pitcher.

Menu

Garden Salad and Dressing
Enchilada Casserole with Corn
Baked Potatoes & Earth Balance Spread
Broccoli Spears
Grape Juice

Chocolate Cake

Today's china:

Noritake Milford with platinum rim

Vintage 1970's

Pansy Faces

Royale Garden Bone China
Staffs, England

My mother’s favorite flower was the pansy. It was her lifelong favorite, with no deviation or change of thought. Although she loved all flowers and had a degree in botany, the humble pansy was always her favorite. As a child, I remember her showing me how each pansy had a face. And each face was unique and expressive in its own way. It seems especially meaningful to me now that she is gone that the pansy means “thought” or “remembrance”. The word itself can be traced back to the French word, pensée. The pansy is a flower with several nicknames. Each name was given because of a specific quality applied to this flower. My favorites are “Jump Up and Kiss Me” and “Heart’s Ease”. Or how about this one --- Three Faces Under a Hood”? Sometimes the pansy is called “Viola Tricolor”. Other names referenced are “Cull Me to You”, “Tickle My Fancy”, "Live in Idleness”, “Kiss Her in the Pantry”, “Johnny Jump Up”, “Monkey Faces”, “Peeping Tom”, and “Three Faces in a Hood”. So many names for one simple, little flower!

In “Language of Flowers” by Kate Greenaway, pansies are said to represent “thoughts”. In Victorian times, a maiden found a pansy that was left by an admirer, it meant that “I am thinking of our forbidden love”. It was much more romantic to let her know by giving her the flower rather than putting it in writing or saying out loud. But, the custom did not go both ways! If a lady gave a pansy to a man she admired, it was considered bad luck! Times surely have changed!

Dorothea Dix, an American nurse and activist who lived in the Civil War era seemed to admire the pansy too. She said that “perhaps no flower...claims to be so universal a favorite, as the viola tricolor; none currently has been honored with so rich a variety of names, at once expressive of grace, delicacy and tenderness.”

Another famous American was Clyde Tombaugh. He was an astronomer who made discoveries in our solar system. But clearly he didn't always look up. It appears that he also took time to appreciate little things close to the ground, like pansies. He is famous for asking "how does a pansy, for example, select the ingredients from soil to get the right colors for the flower? Now there's a great miracle. I think there's a supreme power behind all of this. I see it in nature".

The pansy is an edible plant. Both the blossoms and the leaves are safe to eat. References in the past show that the leaves were used by the Celts to make tea (actually a tisane, which they used as a love potion) and Culpeper, a 17th century English writer, refers to a syrup made from the flowers that was used medicinally to cure certain unsavory diseases.

The pansy is the subject of legend and lore in every culture where this pretty flower blooms. I especially enjoyed learning what American pioneers thought of this flower. They felt that if they picked a handful of these flowers in the spring and brought them into the farmhouse, prosperity would ensue. If the custom was neglected, harm would come to their baby chicks and ducklings. Pioneer children made dolls out of the pansy blossom. Using the pansy flower for the faces, they would add leaf skirts and twigs for arms and legs. So beautifully inventive!

I am linking this post to Bernideen's Tea Time Blog "Open House" meme today.

Mouse Ear of the Woods

Forget Me Not teacup
Clare Bone China ~ Made in England

These dainty little flowers have the botanical name Myosotis sylvatica which has the adorable meaning "Mouse Ear of the Woods". They are probably better known, though as Forget Me Nots. They can be identified by their five petals, a flat face, and a yellow eye or center. They are commonly baby blue in color, but can also be found in white and pink. They are native to England but can be found in woodland areas in many parts of North America. They are easily cultivated and make a pretty addition to flower gardens. 

The tiny blossoms of this plant are edible and can be added to salads to add variety in color, shape, and flavor. And like violets, violas, and pansies, they can be candied or sugared and then used to decorate baked goods and confectioneries. Excessive ingestion of this delicate blossom is not suggested, as it contains minute amounts of pyrrolizidine, an alkaloid that is found in several common herbs like borage, comfrey, and coltsfoot. Don't let that scare you from trying this tiny blossom, though. Honey, grains, milk, and eggs are also sources where this naturally occurring chemical can be found. Moderation seems to be the key.

Historically, this flower was selected to be the one representing King Henry IV of England. He was exiled in 1398  and holds a colorful and romanticized place in chronicles of the time. It is thought that the flowers represent faithfulness and enduring love because of the life of Henry IV. This English king was the principle in a play written by William Shakespeare entitled "The History of Henrie the Fourth". Such interesting tidbits of history and information can be gleaned simply by researching a simple, blue flower from the garden.

Forget Me Not teacup
Queen's Fine Bone China ~ Rosina China Co. Ltd. ~ Made in England

Finding recipes that use forget me nots as an ingredient in food is uncommon, but the little blue flowers make beautiful decoration on baked goods. They can be arranged on cupcakes or frosted cookies. Cookies decorated with icing sugar "forget me not" flowers are pretty too. Examples can be found on Pinterest and are fun to look at. 

Forget Me Not teacup
Hand-painted Porcelain ~ No Marking

Forget Me Not Cookies

*

1 egg white

1/4 cup sugar

1/16 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

*

Makes 18 cookies

*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Be sure the oven rack is set in the middle position. Prepare cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.  Whisk egg whites in a bowl until foamy. Slowly add sugar and beat until peaked. An electric mixer works best for the whisking process. Then, fold in salt, chocolate chips, walnuts, and vanilla.  Using a teaspoon, drop cookies on baking sheet. Then place cookies in preheated oven. Close the door and then turn off the oven. Allow cookies to sit in the oven for six to 10 hours. Then, open oven door and remove. Use a metal spatula to remove cookies from the parchment paper.

Spring Mountain & Wildflowers

Buttercup, Dog Tooth Violet, Spreading Phlox, Alpine Parsley, and Grass Widow are early flowers of spring on the mountain. 

With tea thermos' filled, we headed to the mountain. The guys wanted to see if we could get to the cabin, but I was most interested in the wildflowers. After driving through miles and miles of lush, green wheat fields, we reached the mountain base and switched the truck to 4-wheel drive. The roads were dry and we were hopeful we that we could get to the top. But just a couple miles from the summit we arrived at a shady spot and found the road filled with "rotten snow". It was mushy and impossible to drive on top of. After several attempts, and a walk around the bend where deeper drifts were discovered, we decided to turn around. Instead we found a meadow and spent some time walking and looking for wildflowers.

Early spring flowers are usually yellow and purple. As the season progresses, flowers of blue, red, and white become more predominate. I especially enjoy the Grass Widows. They are one of the earliest blooming flowers in our locale and are a member of the iris family. In the valley they start blooming in February. As the months progress, their appearance varies by elevation. Although we call them Grass Widows, their Latin name is Olsynium douglasii. Grass Widows grow in erect clumps of grass-like leaves with round stems that hold the blossom. The flowers are a bright reddish purple (although they do grow white is some locations) with bold yellow centers. They like rocky, moist places to grow. 

The name Grass Widow dates from an expression of 16th century England. It's a term that was applied to unmarried women or to a woman whose husband was temporarily away from her. There is much speculation as to how this term came to be applied to this flower. It may be that the term was applied to the earliest pioneers of the west who enjoyed a tryst in lush fields of this flower in early spring. Or is could be that the flowers were named for explorers and trappers who developed romantic relationships with Native American women they met on their journey through the west.

The Grass Widow is listed as non-toxic, and therefore safe to eat. But, even the animals avoid this flower because it is not at all tasty. Instead, it would best be saved as garnish or decor for a beautiful dessert or bowl of salad greens. It has a tender blossom which doesn't travel well, so garnish for a mountainside picnic is its best use.

Simple Floral Syrups

In the early summer, the violets carpet the woodland property around our cabin in many places. They seem to thrive in small areas of clearing and in clusters under evergreen trees. The lavender violets are not as prolific, but the yellow ones scatter the forest floor like little beams of sunshine! They are tiny, but abundant. Awhile back, I decided that I should try my hand at a new recipe and make some violet syrup. 

It is no small feat to pick two cups of yellow violet blossoms. They are tiny, delicate, and do not grow in clusters of blossoms. So, one by one, I picked the precious little bits of gold and put them in a secure zip-lock bag. The entire time, I kept one ear and eye tuned to the woods around me (and I didn't wander far away from the fence builder!) so that I could be aware and alert for wild animals like cougars and bears. My dog was my companion and together we enjoyed a yellow violet collecting walk through the woods. At first I used scissors to snip, but found it quicker and faster to bend and pinch with my fingers. By afternoon's end I decided there was enough for a cooking project and put the bags in the ice chest to stay cool.

Of course it was late when we arrived back home, and I was not in the mood to stay up and make violet syrup! To protect the delicate blossoms, I placed them in quart jars and filled them with water. Once lidded, they were placed in the refrigerator so they cold stay fresh and cool.

The next day I started the syrup-making process and a beautiful, golden syrup was the result.

Gracious Hospitality's Yellow-Violets Syrup

3 cups yellow-violet water
[made from two cups violets and three cups water]

6 cups organic sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Gently wash the violets blossoms and drain. Place in a mixing bowl. Heat three cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat and gently pour over the violets. Cover immediately and allow to cool for 24 hours. Use a paper coffee filter to drain (1/2 cup at a time) the water into a small container. Toss away the violets and save the violet water. 

Place violet water in a saucepan. Add sugar. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 10 minutes. Add lemon juice (it will bring out the natural color of the violets, enhancing the syrup's appearance). Remove from heat. 

If canning, fill sterilized jars to the brim. Cap and process for 10 minutes in a water bath. Make pretty labels that say Yellow-Violets Syrup and attach one to each jar. Cap with a paper doily. Add a pretty ribbon or raffia to decorate. 

Makes 8 jelly jars of syrup.

The flavor is delicate and delicious. May be used to enhance lemonade or iced tea, or for a topping for a frozen dessert. Great with fruit. Also, a delicious sweetener for a cup of hot tea. Violet syrups are high in vitamin C and have been said to be beneficial and soothing for sore throats.

Charming Petals for Garnishing

Squash Blossom Potato Salad

8 - 10 potatoes, cooked, peeled, and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 can black olives, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 orange or red pepper, diced
2 - 3 dill pickles, chopped
1 cup extra-firm tofu, cubed OR boiled eggs
salt, to taste
sweet basil, dried, to taste
1 cup Veganaise (or mayonnaise as desired)

Mix all ingredients together. Adjust seasonings to your taste. 

Serve in a squash blossom and enjoy!

Squash blossoms and pumpkin blossoms are edible and taste somewhat like uncooked squash. They should be washed and trimmed to remove stems and stamens. They can be breaded and fried, added chopped to foods like scrambled eggs, and are tasty in soups and fillings.

Here's an interesting article with quotes from a restaurant chef. He shares some excellent ideas for using squash blossoms in cooking; plus some recipes!