April showers bring May flowers, as the old saying goes.
But those flowers don’t just make for a gorgeous garden or beautiful bouquet. They can pretty up your plates as garnishes, and — even better — make springtime dishes even more delicious.
Isn’t that absolutely perfect for a Mother’s Day brunch?
To prepare some special dishes, we headed out to Bench Farms, 9151 Jerusalem Rd., Curtice, to talk with Cindy Bench. She and her husband David have been operating their farm for three decades, and the family is now raising its fourth generation of farmers.
With her signature bright smile, Mrs. Bench chatted about edible flowers while displaying a tremendous depth of knowledge and wisdom.
First, she offered a word of warning: “Don’t go eating anything that’s been treated with chemicals!” Know where the flowers have come from, to be sure they’re safe before you serve them.
But with that caution out of the way, Mrs. Bench proceeded to walk around the greenhouse tending to seedlings and snipping flowers from some of them. Once herbs bloom they lose their flavor, she explained. So snipping those flowers actually helps the plants to thrive.
Herbs, fruits, ornamental and decorative plants — Mrs. Bench showed off and shared uses for an entire buffet of blooms.
Viola: “You throw ‘em on a salad. They’re sweet.”
Basil: She and her sisters make vinegar by placing the stems and blooms into a jar and covering them with rice vinegar. “Add a berry or two” for color and flavor, she suggested. Basil varieties include Italian, Holy (“kind of sweet”), Aussie Sweet with green leaves that have purple centers, and deeply violet Amethyst Leaf (“so pretty”).
Garlic: Society garlic, especially, is “very mild” and “just gorgeous” with its delicate lilac-colored flowers, she said. In proper Victorian times, “English ladies could eat it and not have bad breath.”
Orange: Layer orange blossoms with sugar and wait two weeks, to flavor the sweetener subtly.
Pansies: “Put them on a cake,” Mrs. Bench recommends. Whip egg whites until frothy, dip the flowers, then sugar them and let them dry.
Purslane: “Throw it in your salad — it’s wonderful. So full of nutrition, it’s so good for you.”
The list continued: “You can eat rosemary and sage and pineapple sage. Nasturtiums. Fuchsias,” Mrs. Bench said. Strawberry blossoms. Lavender. Tuberous begonias (not all begonias). Geraniums. Hibiscus.
A handout at the Bench Farms greenhouse also noted bachelor buttons, calendula, dandelions, hollyhock, hyacinth bean, marigold, sunflowers, tulips, and squash blossoms (including zucchini, which are often stuffed, battered, and fried).
But that’s not all.
The Chef’s Garden, 9009 Huron Avery Rd., Huron, which cultivates unique varieties of produce for restaurants around the world and also sells to home customers, offers edible flowers and shares a wealth of creative uses for them.
Starting with breakfast, citrus begonia would be a lovely complement to a yogurt-fruit parfait, and dill blooms would be exceptional with eggs. Or gently mix edible flowers into butter or cream cheese for a sophisticated schmear.
Moving on to dinner, flowering herb bouquets are delicious accompaniments to rich dishes, such as pork chops or duck. Or, if you’re feeling ambitious, embed some colorful blooms into sheets of homemade pasta for a striking effect.
Cocktails can also be beautified. For example, freeze some flowers into ice cubes to drop into drinks. (These even make a simple sparkling water more glamorous.)
Even more fun, though, would be to use butterfly pea blossoms which when steeped create a gorgeously blue tea. Add a spritz of acid, though — say, some lime for a margarita? — and it magically transforms into a deep shade of violet.
Other uses for edible flowers include kombucha: Toledo’s own Boochy Mama’s uses violets in its Wild Blossoms variety, and its partner Bear Moon Botanicals uses a multitude of florals in organic tinctures. Steep blooms to create teas, essences (rose water is integral to Persian/Iranian cuisine), syrups, and vinegary shrubs for mixed drinks.
Or simple strew them over a salad, a fancy dessert, or anything else your heart desires.
Each flower’s color, texture, and flavor is unique — as unique as each mom, grandma, and mother figure in your life.
A beautiful brunch with edible blooms is a fun new twist on giving mom flowers for Mother’s Day.
We thank both Bench Farms and the Chef’s Garden for providing the gorgeous blooms used for this story’s accompanying recipes and pictures.
Overnight Oats with Strawberry Jam and Flowers
2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups milk
1 cup vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons chia seeds
Strawberry jam
Strawberry flowers
In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, milk, yogurt, honey, and chia seeds. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Stir the oats and divide them among 4 to 6 serving cups. Top each serving with a dollop of jam and a sprinkling of flowers. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Source: Mary Bilyeu, inspired by the Chef’s Garden
Spring Salad with Fresh Flowers
Spring lettuce mix
Baby spinach leaves
Chopped fresh parsley
Very thinly sliced radishes
Very thinly sliced baby cucumbers
Prepared lemon-herb vinaigrette
Edible flowers: mint sprigs, hibiscus blooms, pansies, nasturtiums, violas, cucumber blossoms, garlic blossoms, herb blossoms, etc.
In a large mixing bowl, gently toss the lettuces, spinach, parsley, radishes, and cucumbers with a bit of the vinaigrette. Place the salad onto a serving platter, garnish with the flowers, and serve immediately.
Yield: Varies
Source: Mary Bilyeu
Avocado Toast with Edible Flowers
2 slices good bread
1 small avocado, sliced, or ½ cup mashed avocado
⅓ cup sprouts and/or microgreens
Everything bagel seasoning
Dill, spinach, garlic, herb, and/or cucumber flowers
Lightly toast the bread, then place half the avocado onto each slice. Top with a few sprouts and/or microgreens and a sprinkling of bagel seasoning.
Garnish with the flowers and serve immediately.
Yield: 2 servings
Source: Mary Bilyeu
Orange Blossom Water Cake with Pistachio Streusel
Cake:
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons orange blossom water
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
Streusel:
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons orange blossom water
½ cup honey roasted pistachios, ground
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ cup flour
Glaze:
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon orange blossom flower water
2 teaspoons water
Garnish:
Orange blossoms
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch round pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and grease the parchment paper.
Make the cake: In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and orange blossom water until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Beat in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
Make the streusel: In a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients, then dollop over the cake.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake rest for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and let it cool completely.
Place the cake onto a serving plate.
In a small bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients. Drizzle over the cake, let set for a few minutes, then garnish with the orange blossoms, slice, and serve.
Yield: 8 servings
Source: Mary Bilyeu
Butterfly Pea Flower Margarita
Tea:
2 tablespoons dried butterfly pea flowers
¼ cup water
Margarita:
4 ounces tequila
1 ounce triple sec
Juice of half lime
1 ounce agave syrup
Place the butterfly pea flowers and the water into a small microwave-safe container. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute or until the water is very hot, then let the flowers steep for 10 minutes. Strain the tea, discard the flowers, and let the tea cool in the refrigerator until chilled.
Place the tea, tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and agave syrup into a shaker with ice cubes. Seal well and shake thoroughly until the mixture is chilled, then divide the margarita among 2 sugar- or salt-rimmed glasses (depending upon preference).
Yield: 2 servings
Source: Mary Bilyeu, inspired by the Chef’s Garden
First Published May 1, 2022, 1:00 p.m.
