Baker's Delights: Plant Ideas for Bakers and Cooks
Our resident landscape expert and vegetarian cookbook author lists easy, kitchen-friendly herbs and edible flowers
Caution: Consume only the flower varieties you are positive are safe for eating. Research flower varieties, ask your local nursery staff and make informed decisions about which flowers to harvest for food. Flowers are safe to eat only if they are not treated with pesticides. For this reason, do not eat flowers from florists, directly from nursery plants or from the side of the road.
Or go all out and line your wall or window sill with your favourite herbs. Herbs can easily change the flavour profile of the simplest of your recipes, whether it’s a stew or a loaf of bread.
Tip: For herbs, as long as they are not for decoration, you can put them in an airtight bag and freeze for up to 12 months. You can also chop and freeze them in oil or water in ice cube trays (depending on the recipe you usually need the herbs for); transfer frozen cubes into an airtight container and keep for up to a year.
Savoury Six: Herbs to Jump Start Your Edible Garden
Tip: For herbs, as long as they are not for decoration, you can put them in an airtight bag and freeze for up to 12 months. You can also chop and freeze them in oil or water in ice cube trays (depending on the recipe you usually need the herbs for); transfer frozen cubes into an airtight container and keep for up to a year.
Savoury Six: Herbs to Jump Start Your Edible Garden
You can also try your hand at growing one or a few of these seemingly simple – but food-safe! – ornamental plants.
Sweet Ixora flowers are great on smaller cakes that require dainty flower details. With or without flowers, this plant is very easy to grow, makes a great hedge, and an excellent topiary.
How to Grow A Green Thumb
Sweet Ixora flowers are great on smaller cakes that require dainty flower details. With or without flowers, this plant is very easy to grow, makes a great hedge, and an excellent topiary.
How to Grow A Green Thumb
Nasturtium is a hardy annual known for its bright yellow, orange, and red flowers. It grows well in partly shaded locations, especially in hot-summer areas. Its flowers, leaves, stems and pods are edible.
Roses are not only delightful to the eyes. Its petals and buds render a special flavour to salads and desserts. If anything, fresh roses look great on a cake.
The same is true about orchids that not only look awesome as a plant table topper, but are equally great on decorating naked cakes. NParks specifies that parts of the bamboo orchid (Arundina graminifolia) and akar penubal (Vanilla griffithii) varieties are edible.
TIP: When serving edible flowers or fresh herbs, clean them by washing them gently in a large bowl of cold water. Air-dry on a paper towel and use immediately. For cut flowers, you can also store them in the refrigerator for up to a week in an airtight container lined with a damp paper towel.
Basic Care for Healthy Orchids
TIP: When serving edible flowers or fresh herbs, clean them by washing them gently in a large bowl of cold water. Air-dry on a paper towel and use immediately. For cut flowers, you can also store them in the refrigerator for up to a week in an airtight container lined with a damp paper towel.
Basic Care for Healthy Orchids
Violets and pansies are more commonly seen in dishes served at fine dining restaurants. While both belong to the genus Viola and have many similarities, violets need partial to full shade while pansies withstand full sun to partial shade. Violets have three petals that point upward and two that point downward while pansies have four petals that point upward and one that points downward.
Violets, which come in a range of pastel and vibrant colours, have a sweet and floral taste, making them a perfect companion for everything from salads to iced drinks. Pansies taste fresh, slightly spicy, and lettuce-like which make them popular in salads and savoury meals because its taste blends very well while adding a great splash of colour.
Both violets and pansies are particularly beautiful when pressed on icing on a cake, or crystallised to top frosted cakes and other desserts.
Both violets and pansies are particularly beautiful when pressed on icing on a cake, or crystallised to top frosted cakes and other desserts.
Tip: The whole flowers of these violas are not only edible but also contain vitamins C, A and antioxidants.
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is also known for its culinary qualities. They can be grown in a pot, needs full sun and ample irrigation. Hibiscus flowers have a cranberry-like flavour with tropical notes. They are most often made into iced tea or infused into other cold drinks, but chopped hibiscus flowers add a tangy spunk to salads and desserts.
TELL US.
What are the plants you grow for cooking and baking? Let us know in the comments section.
TELL US.
What are the plants you grow for cooking and baking? Let us know in the comments section.
If more robust-looking vegetables scare you, you can start small with a pot of basil.
Basic Care for Basil