Clare Florist Blog

Have you ever eaten a rose-petal salad or violet ice-cream? Ever since I was a little girl, playing with my flower-fairy dolls, I've always loved the idea of eating flowers and been delighted by the occasions such opportunities arose, like when my friend's sister decorated a cake with candied pansies, or when my mum put fresh nasturtiums in our salad.

There are other flowers I, like many people, usually think of simply as vegetables and have eaten without realising that they are in fact flowers, like artichokes, cauliflower, broccoli and capers (which are in fact tiny pickled flower buds), but they don't carry the same thrill as pretty petalled blossoms.

You'd be surprised at how many beautiful edible flowers there are out there. For a more comprehensive list and recipe ideas have a look at Linda Stradley's article on the What's Cooking America website, but here are a few of my favourites:

Nasturtiums — Nasturtiums are a common edible garden flower. The beautiful blossoms come in fiery shades of yellow and red and have a peppery, spicy flavour, similar to watercress. They make an eye-catching, tangy addition to salads as well as pretty garnishing next to any dish.

Roses — Rose flavour is known to many through its addition in turkish delight and chocolate rose creams but the petals can also be used whole in exotic recipes like Thai Rose Petal Salad or Quails in Rose Petal Sauce, as featured in Laura Esquivel's magical-realist novel, Like Water for Chocolate. All untreated roses are edible but the darker and more scented varieties have a more pronounced flavour. When cooking with rose petals you should remove the white ends of the petal as these can have a bitter taste. Rosebuds and petals can also be used to make a subtly flavoured herbal infusion.

Elderflower — While the deep purple berries can be made into jam and elderberry wine autumn, the tiny yellow-white blossom of the elderberry bushes which are a common feature of British gardens and countryside can be made into sweet cordial, refreshing in summer served cold and good for colds made hot. They can also be sprinkled into pancake batter for crepes with a pungent floral twist, perfect with lemon and sugar. Only the fruit and the flowers are edible –the rest of the plant is poisonous – so make sure you remove the stems when cooking with the flowers.

Pansies — These common garden flowers come in a variety of bright shades including deep purples and vibrant yellows and have a grassy flavour. They make a pretty addition to green salads, fruit salads and desserts. Along with many other flowers, they make great decorations as when candied and can be used to adorn cakes, ice-cream and sorbets.

Violets — Violets  have a distinctive perfumed flavour. Like their cousins, pansies, they make decoration added to salads or candied for desserts. They can also make a special embellishment in cocktails, there's even a Violet Cocktail made with violet liqueur. I also discovered divine violet ice cream when I was on holiday in France. If you're feeling adventurous, here's an Italian recipe for Mascarpone Ice Cream with Violets . Yum, yum.

A word of caution!

Not all flowers are edible and some are poisonous and can make you very sick, so only eat flowers if you are are sure what they are and that they are safe to eat.

You should also make sure that any flowers you eat are organic: have been kept well clear of pesticides and other chemicals often used in flower cultivation. Even if the chemicals have only been used on other parts of the plant they may well have spread into the flowers.

And remember, when you've got some good ones don't overindulge as too many flowers can cause stomach complaints!

Be it a bouquet from your special somebody, or indeed even a particularly striking flower from a bouquet you have acquired for yourself, the usual 7 days lifespan of cut flowers are sure to feel a little too short for admiring. The solution? Capture its beauty before it fades! No, I don't quite mean cameras and tripods (although you can find some great tips on photographing your bouquet in all its glorious beauty here)..I'm talking about drying them to their original forms even before the flower is in full bloom, so you would be able to hold onto the pretty flower souvenir piece for months to come either as an arrangement or used as a gift.

Complicated as that sounds, in fact there are few ways in which drying flowers can be done at home with relative ease - here are a few of them:

Air drying - This is perhaps the easiest of all - only an empty wardrobe or something similar that is warm, dry and out of the sun is required! Simply bundle up the flowers you wish to dry, preferably those with long stems with lower leaves stripped, and hang upside down from the clothing rod. After 1 to 3 weeks, depending on the progress, they should be thoroughly dried and can be preserved using hair spray.

Waxing - If you have access to some parafin wax, another easy way would be to just dip the flowers into wax and leave them to set in the fridge. Don't forget to shake off the excess beforehand though or else you might end up with a very messy fridge...

Sand drying - You can try this method on longer lasting flowers such as roses or tulips, although some flowers such as chrysanthemums and poppies are definitely not recommended for this method. This method should be used when the flowers are blooming in perfection. Use glue to secure the petals and wires to support the stems after cutting it short (depending on variety of flower). Use a box deep enough to hold sand that can keep the flower in upright position and take care not to destroy the shape of it. Again this method can take 1-3 weeks, but the results are often great, where the colours can be determined through how humid the storage condition is. Remember to remove the sand with care too or else all the efforts would be wasted!

Microwave drying - For a quick drying, and if the flowers are not fully blooming yet, you may wish to consider using the microwave and some silica gel. Tuilips and Chrysanthemums are two examples of cut flowers which can be dried successfully in this way. In a similar way to sand drying, cover the flowers in silica gel. Then, using the low settings on a microwave oven, heat flowers in silica gel till the gel reaches about 160 F, and after about 2-3 minutes it's done! Let it sit with an airy lid for a day or so before taking it out.

Have fun experimenting!

I mentioned previously in this blog that Chrysanthemums get the royal treatment in Japan. In fact, the annual celebration of the famous Chrysanthemum Festival in Japan falls in September, traditionally on the 9th. But the most mesmerising part, however, may not be so well known outside of Japan.

The little gem I'm referring to is the "Chrysanthemum dolls" exhibition - yes, an invigorating show of life-size dolls in costumes made of fresh and blooming Chrysanthemums! The first of these shows was way back in 1910, an event that was since regularly held at Hirakata. At each show, 50 dolls are constructed to display characters in various famous Japanese historical scenes as well as Japanese drama (kabuki).

Link to a picture of a Chrysanthemum Dolls exhibit.

These enchanting dolls require the utmost expertise and care from the craftsmen, not to mention meticulous planning and co-ordination - with different masters dealing with different parts, from the design of the scenario layout down to the bamboo body frames and painted faces. Each doll would take at least a day to be constructed by an expert, using up at least 100 plants. Over the duration of the show, flowers have to be continually kept fresh and they are changed every 7 days or show, using up to 40000 plants altogether!

A shame that they seem to have stopped doing these shows, as far I know, due to a mixture of declining number of visitors and a lack of successors to the old masters of this craft. That's not to say some Chrysanthemum dolls that are left around certain Japanese botanical gardens won’t greet you.
Until then, why not send "Just Chrysanths" or even try developing some Chrysanthemum figures of your own?

I just came across a rather interesting exibition which is currently on at the British Museum - seven different Japanese flower arrangements are to be displayed over seven weeks, a perfect chance to have a taste of the fascinating art of Ikebana!

For those who have never heard of Ikebana, literally meaning living flowers, it refers to the the Japanese art of flower arrangement. In contrast to Western flower arrangement styles, Ikebana puts emphasis on assymetries, and makes use of empty space and elegant lines to accentuate the beauty of their floral design.

With a Buddhist origin, Ikebana aims to represent the beauty and harmony of nature, while capturing its transience through the arrangement of flower blossoms and other materials such as branches and leaves. The entire structure of a Japanese flower arrangement is based on three main points that symbolize heaven, earth, and man.

Currently there are 3 main schools of Ikebana - Ikenobo, Sogetsu  and Ohara. Ikenobo was said to be the founder of Ikebana, introducing the form of standing flower, which was developed as the Buddhist expression for nature's beauty. Sogetsu teaches Ikebana in a disciplined manner using patterns, where there are 3 main branches arranged to precise angles and shapes. Ohara later introduced the use of shallow, flat containers. This style is described as 'piled up flowers', which allows more freedom into the arrangements following influences from the West.

Another fascinating point - this art form is enjoyed in Japan by men and women alike! In fact, currently, the leading flower arrangers are for the most part, men.

Do go and take a look at this exquisite form of floral art at the exhibition if you happen to be in or around London before the 19th August 2007. For more information on the exhibition, take a look at:

British Museum- future exhibitions - ikebana

You can find out more about Ikebana and its background history at:

http://www.ikebanahq.org/whatis.html

Prepared by Tracy, posted by Bob

This has become a very popular craft and it's popularity is growing as people grow more and more aware of the things they dispose of and they want to recycle as much as they can – and what better way to do this than make your own gorgeous masterpiece that you can keep forever? Who wants to throw out what was a gorgeous bouquet because it has started to wilt? Pressed Flowers are just one of the Flower Crafts that have taken off in recent years. It is no longer just a Children's pastime – although is a great activity for children – and something that the whole family can get involved in. Please see this link for some examples of what you can do with your pressed flowers.

It is SO EASY to do – and need not cost you a penny!

• Firstly put your flowers inside sheets of plain paper or similar to avoid colour  dying. Take care of the way in which you place them as if you want a “side  view” in your picture for example, you will need to lay your flower this way to  press.
• An expensive flower press is not needed – anything that will put pressure and weight onto your flowers will do. Placing inside a heavy book and lodging under your sofa (for example) should work just as well.
• WAIT. This may take some time depending on the moisture within the flowers and how much pressure they have on them.

Of course, you can you can use a flower press - which need not be expensive – go for a small one when you first start out – or even a second hand one if you wish. Otherwise, if you are feeling flush – there are a multitude of presses available in all shapes, sizes and for all budgets.

• Uses for Pressed flowers

Why limit yourself to making pictures? Pressed flowers are also great for making cards (Mother's Day perhaps?), Diary/journal covers, and to decorate all sorts of items around your house such as: napkin rings, candles, table mats and tablecloths – the list really is endless.

And Pressing Flowers is far from the only craft you can use flowers for – there are so many other craft ideas – which I will go into later... so watch this space!