SC - Saxon Violets Again!

[allilyn at juno.com]

>> The little Violet pastilles in my purse taste more of violets, you
know?<<

The ones in my purse taste more of chemicals.  ;-p

>> Would it work to candy flowers like we make the
candied orange peel, by making a hot syrup and dipping them in that?<<

My experiments along this line resulted in the flowers going Ouch!
Scrunch!  Had a mess in sugar.  Either ran out of flowers or gave up in
disgust before syrup cooled.  Probably, thinning the egg white wouldn't
hurt, as long as it was still sticky.  Still think that 'painting' the
egg white on the petals and sifting the sugar over them worked best.

I had some flue-like, stomach upsetting symptoms this past Christmas. 
Remembered a friend's warning against raw eggs, and realized I had
automatically licked the beaters after making meringue.  I called my
doctor, who said that all eggs are not contaminated, the licking the
beaters wouldn't hurt me, and neither would an eggnog or two.

>>	How would the gum arabic be different? or would it? I have not
worked
with it, so I don't know if it would have given different results.<<

I haven't, either.  Could somebody post their results so we'd know?  And
best directions for its use?

>>But it doesn't get old like yeast does, does it?<<

yeah.

>>And- is there any way to re-boil and re-jar a batch of jelly, to
'rescue' it?<<

This, I have done.  Not with flowers, but if I'd kept the pectin until it
laid down and died, I could re-do the jelly with a fresh box.  I think I
remember doing jelly a second time with fresh-squeezed apple juice, and
it worked.

Your experiments with the pink syrup are hilarious!  Reminds me of the
first time Aunt May and I made soap.  Didn't know about 'cleaning' the
bacon grease with water baths, so our soap was yucky brown.  We figured
the addition of green dye would make it look like the old Palmolive. 
Threw in all the green food dye we could find in the neighborhood.  (At
11:30, PM, not everybody will answer the door and go get you their food
dye!)  It prompty turned tomato soup red!  After the shock, we realized,
Oh, yeah--lye.  

Violets blooming here, soon.  Will have to play, again.  'Lainie, dare
you to enter your shocking pink syrup as a 'period' sauce!  Let us know
what the faces are like when you explain to the judges about violets and
lemons.

>> Surely the lark's vomit is next...<<

Regards,
Allison,     planning on skipping straight to sparrow's brain
custard......

 allilyn at juno.com

>>Try keeping the infusion covered with a lid to allow steam condensation
(I believe they make rose water by capturing the steam from the
infusion).  <<

Just read down to this post!  The Christiana that used to live in South
Africa told me how to do this: Get a pot--thick bottomed is best--put a
cup pr glass container in it.  Pour in some water and the rose
petals--this was for rose water--and cover the pot and simmer.  I planned
to use one of those corningware glass pots, with the glass lid inverted,
set into a heavy dutch oven.  The inverted glass lid should make the
concentrated steam drip right into the glass pan.  Ice cubes are to be
set on the glass lid, to turn that steam back into liquid.  This should
get a sort of distilled effect for violets or roses or whichever flowers
we use.

________________________________________________________________
YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
Try it today - there's no risk!  For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.