[Sca-cooks] herb -infused sugars

[Barbara Benson]

> -Ardenia> I'm working on my entries for Northern Lights...and just for the
heck of it trying to actually come up with things in 5 categories.  I've
been working on herb-infused (ginger, lavender, rose)  sugars, just because
they're lovely in teas... but I'm hitting a wall when it comes to seeking
out documentation.  Any suggestions?

Greetings,

In Sabina Welserin there is a pear tart recipe that calls for Rose Sugar.
Not being commercially available I set about making some.

What I dug up was the following:
ROSE SUGAR, in poem Naturen Bloeme (Flower of Nature) by Dutch poet Jacob
van Maerlant, written between 1265 and 1270. From "Rose Sugar and Other
Sweets" by Joop Witteveen, Petits Propos Culinaires, Number 20, 1985, pp
22-28.
1. "Rose sugar (suker rosaet) is made in the following way: rose petals that
have been rubbed fine with sugar are put in a glass jar and left in the sun
for 30 days; the contents must be stirred daily; the jar must be well sealed
and it will remain good for three years."
Witteveen says that "One could make this sugar not only from roses but also
from violets (Viola tricolor L. and Viola odorata L.) and later also from
borage and rosemary."

I dug this up on the web and that was the entirety of the quote. I know that
there are individuals on the list that have PPC and might be able to dig up
this issue and further enlighten us. I haven't made the pie yet, but I have
several jars of what looks like light brown sugar and smells like roses
(finally). For the first 20 days it just smelled like mown grass.

Glad Tidings,
Serena da Riva