[Sca-cooks] RE: peppermint

[Radei Drchevich]

I disagree.  I use herb flowers a great deal.  some
decoratively<garnishes>, some for the flavours. 

When I remove the flowers I use them fresh or dry them for use later. 
Very few are not useable.  in fact some of my herb are grown just for the
flowers.  Nastersiums, for example. Have a very peppery flavour, and add
great colours to a salad.  Onion flowrs also add great flovour to
salads.  Sage flowers are delicate flavoured but the colours are usually
very intense<depends on the cultivar>. 

Try it, if you like it, do it.  if you don't like it, don't do it
again<g>.

joy

radei

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: "Barbara Benson"
  To: "Cooks within the SCA"
  Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] RE: peppermint
  Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2005 14:05:01 -0400

  >
  > > Elisabetta> So what do I do with the flowers? Can I cook with
  them
  > or dry them, or
  > > just let them bloom and die?
  >
  > Greetings,
  >
  > With most herbs your desired portion of the plant is the leaf.
  Flowers
  > are usually undesirable. As a general rule, once the plant starts
  > producing flowers it spends considerably less time making leaves.
  And
  > this is not what you want.
  >
  > When herbs start to form a flower head you want to "pinch" it back.
  > This involves taking your fingers and pinching the end of the stem
  and
  > breaking the tender flower head off. Some of your more woody herbs
  > will require small snippers.
  >
  > This type of selective pruning will encourage your herbs to become
  > more bushy and produce more abundant leaves. If you allow it to go
  > completely to flower it will then put the majority of it's energy
  into
  > making seeds to procreate. If seeds are what you are looking for
  that
  > is good (like fennel seeds). But for most herbs it is bad.
  >
  > I hope that this is of some assistance.
  >
  > Glad Tidings,
  > --Serena da Riva
  > Barony of the South Downs, Meridies
  >
  > _______________________________________________
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  > Sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
  > http://www.ansteorra.org/mailman/listinfo/sca-cooks

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