Bachelor's Buttons. |
Did you know bachelor's buttons are an edible flower? They're described as tasting a little "cucumber-y" but I find them almost without flavor. Still, they look festive whole or torn to bits in a salad or decorating a cake. The flowers hold up well in a bouquet if picked when fully open, too.
Bachelor's buttons bloom with poppies and larkspur in early summer. |
The Egyptian boy-king, Tutankhamen, was buried with a wreath on his head of olive leaves, water lily petals and cornflowers (another name for bachelor's buttons). They were called cornflowers because the flower used to spread itself freely in grain fields across southern Europe. They are becoming rare in the wild there now due to current farming practices.
Edible Flower bed, yesterday. |
In a few weeks it will begin to fill in like this photo shows. |
Here, below, is a new edible flower I've added to the garden this week. It even sounds like food!
Ketchup and Mustard Rose |
Last year, in March, I was in Round Top, Texas for the herb festival at Festival Hill. They served Ginger Beet Cake - yes, made with beets, and it was a huge success. I asked for their permission to share the recipe here, and did so in last year's post. But it being Mother's Day and all, I thought it a good time to post it again. This is a delicious cake and you will never guess it has beets in it!
Ginger Beet Cake. Not a crumb of this cake was left over! |
Ginger Beet Cake
You can make this cake ahead and freeze it for later. It requires no frosting,
just a dusting of powdered sugar if you wish, or leave that off and just
add whipped cream and a few bachelor's buttons!
just a dusting of powdered sugar if you wish, or leave that off and just
add whipped cream and a few bachelor's buttons!
1 1/2 cups flour (I use 1 cup unbleached flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour)
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar (I use 1 1/2 cups granulated stevia or Truvia and 1/2 cup sugar)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons dry ginger
2 Tablespoons fresh grated ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup nuts, chopped (I used pecans)
3/4 cup coconut
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a food processor, empty the entire can of beets, juice and all. Blend it well. Combine the rest of the ingredients except for the chopped nuts, mixing well. Fold in the chopped nuts. Pour into a 9 x 13, oiled and floured baking pan. Bake until a knife inserted comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool. Serve with real whipped cream. People were going back for seconds, saying this couldn't possibly have beets in it.
No Cool Whip for this, use real whipped cream! |
4 comments:
I fell in love with that Ketchup and Mustard Rose. Too bad it is not for our zone. Good luck with the edible flower garden. Thanks for sharing.
Hi, Jim
I am pasting a comment that I posted to your LinkedIN discussion re ths blog post, Here it 'tis:
Nice post, Jim, I laughed out loud or should I say "LOL" these days? AND, your sneaky way to get someone to eat something made me think of a recent BLONDIE Comic Strip (you can see how well read I am) where Blondie sneaked tofu to Dagwood. I think the link to the strip is @ http://www.blondie.com/strip.php?month=5&year=2012&comic=2012-5-1
Thanks for the invite to visit your blog. The recipe sounds intriguing, and it's nice to see that you included your healhier amendments, like whole wheat flour and Truvia. Cheers!
Jim, the cake was great! I used all stone-ground whole wheat flour, and substituted about 1/2 cup of unsweetened natural applesauce and 1/4 cup of coconut oil for the vegetable oil. I also used 1 1/2 cups of succanat as the sweetener... I reduced the amount because we don't like things too sweet. Walnuts since I had them on hand. Super easy and very delicious! I'll definitely make it again. Thanks!
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