Monday 26 September 2011

A flower-ishing salad or a flourishing salad?

                              Edible flowers          photo by Wild roots

One of the things I love most about Sundays is the trip to Queen's Park farmers market. I really enjoy the hustling and bustling of the place. Nina loves it too, as she samples lots of things and gets to meet other kids in an area where they play while eating fresh berries, cupcakes, sausage rolls, creamy ice-cream and other goodies. The smell of the organic lamb burgers on the barbecue, the roasted organic chicken sandwiches, the sampling of fresh veg and fruit, delicious cheeses, earthy breads, flavoursome pies, mouth-watering cakes and the whole lot - it’s the best start of the day.

This week, the edible flowers were the winners! You just want to frame them. You can add them to any meal, and they can lift the spirits of any “overcast” soul.

I buy them from one of my favourite stalls. The Wild Country Organics

Nina on her way to the market
she meets other kids and enjoys her treats...
...while I do my shopping 
raw buffalo cheeses, milk and yoghurt
the delicious chicken and salad sandwich
the edible flowers
wash them
and garnish your salad!
Flower salad


Ingredients

1 bag of mixed leaves (mustard, rocket, lettuce) - washed
Sundried tomatoes, as you like it
1 apple – in chunks
1 dessertspoon of organic butter
Edible flowers
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper

Method

Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the apple chunks and let them caramelise. Turn off the heat, leave them to cool.

In a big bowl, gently mix all the ingredients but the flowers. Scatter the flowers on top - you can/preferably separate the crysanthemum leaves from the bitter flower base and scatter them over the salad.

Beautiful!

Some of the flowers and their healthy benefits 



Caution! Do not buy edible flowers from a place/nursery that uses chemicals and pesticides. If you are unsure about which flower to eat, check this website


Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus): It has been traditionally used to treat insect bites, snake bites and stings. It's also used to treat mouth ulcers. The dried powder is used to treat bruises. Distilled water from cornflower is used to treat sore eyes.


Garland Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum coronarium or Leucanthemum coronarium): It is also known as shungiku, kikuna, chop sueys, tong hao, mantilida, crown daisy, chrysanthemum greens or edible crysanthemum. It is an edible flower native to East Asia which is widely used in stir-fries, soups, It has a slightly mustard flavour and a peppery cauliflower taste. It varies in colours. 


The best way to eat the flower is to blanch it (but be careful not to overcook it) and scatter the petals on a salad. 


It has antioxidant properties, protects against cardiovascular diseases, kidney stones, bone loss and digestive problems. It contains B vitamins and potassium.

Caution: some people may experience mild stomach upset when consuming chrysanthemum. It can also cause an adverse allergic reaction when handling the flowers.

Snap Dragon (Antirrhinum majus): It is not the best flower to eat. It tastes bitter and it is often used for garnishing.

"before we leave can I watch the guy playing the guitar
a little bit more, mummy?"
"Yeah, I like you! Here you go, you deserve a tip"!

Till next week!



 


 


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4 comments

  1. You're right, Margot, it makes you want to frame the flowers. Really beautiful salada. Good and easy to make recipe. cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Linda salada Margot, seu blog está cada vez melhor!
    Aquela flor azul, qual o nome dela?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Helena, you should be here to come to the market with me! xx
    Gui, obrigadissima. Queria voce aqui pintando na minha cozinha. A flor azul eh a cornflower! Bjs

    ReplyDelete

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