Cooking with Edible Flowers and Herbs

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Cooking with edible flowers and herbs can be a wonderful new way to add flavor and interest to your favorite recipes, and to branch out to try new recipes.

Here are some tips to help get you started.

cooking

A World of Flavor

There are many edible plants with wonderful tastes and visual appeal. Taking the time to research what is edible and which recipes it can be used in will not only add variety to your meals, but also phytonutrients (plant nutrients), vitamins and minerals.

In terms of herbs, just take a look at any spice rack in a supermarket, and chances are you will see both old favorites, like oregano and basil, with new, intriguing herbs lie borage and cilantro. Most herbs can be grown at home in containers or in the garden. They will be cheaper than store bought, and delightful-tasting when used fresh.

You can also dry your harvested herbs, which will be a lot less expensive than commercial brands. Best of all, your own herbs will be organic and pesticide-free.

Traditional Recipes

Our ancestors wasted nothing. They started as hunter-gatherers, and through a process of elimination, discovered which flowers and herbs could be eaten. This knowledge got passed down through the centuries, and eventually made it into the earliest cookbooks. Many of these are free online, so you can discover popular dishes from the Middle Ages, or how Shakespeare would have dined.

A World of Recipes

There is also a world of cuisines to explore, each with their own herb combinations. Italian food, Indian, Thai, Chinese… learning about the herbs and spices used can help you add variety to your weekly meals, without expensive restaurants or takeaway.

Soups and Stews

Soups and stews are an excellent way to cook for two reasons. The first is that everything goes into one pot to simmer, for easy cooking and clean-up. The second is that everything is cooked together, so no nutrition is lost.

Soups and stews tend to also be very hearty and filling. They are ideal during chilly weather. Chances are you won’t overeat either, because the food will be so flavorful and satisfying.

The herbs you use will depend on the main ingredients in the soup. For lamb, seasonings like sage, rosemary and thyme will enhance the food. Just add a range of vegetables such as peas and carrots, and some wedges of potato for a complete meal.

Sauces

One of the most popular sauces is Italian tomato sauce to pour over pasta. You can make your own in minutes with some fresh tomatoes that have been cored and quartered, and some oregano, basil and a dash of olive oil. Some people lightly sauté the herbs in the olive oil to release more of the flavor.

Other sauces can liven up chicken, fish and beef. It is all a question of learning which herbs you prefer, which can be a fun journey of exploration.

Garnishes and Decoration

Edible flowers and herbs have also been used for centuries to make food more attractive, in addition to adding flavor if the items used are intended to be eaten. You can add flowers to ice cubes to add beauty and flavor to a pitcher of drinks, or a platter of cheese. Your salads can take on new and vibrant colors with the help of nasturtiums and other edible flowers.

Desserts

Edible flowers and some herbs were also the foundation of the desserts our ancestors loved. Rose petals and rose water were highly prized and used in many different recipes. Violets and other flowers were candied and eaten as is, or used to decorate cakes and puddings. Jellies were also very popular, and were both tasty and nutritious.

Drying Edible Flowers and Herbs

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Edible flowers and some herbs can be delicate, but learning how to dry them properly can ensure you make the most of each harvest.

Some people swear by a commercial food dehydrator, but if you don’t want to go to the expense, there are simple ways to dry your flowers and herbs.

herbs

Know What Is Safe to Eat

Safety first. Take the time to research what is safe to eat, and what it can be used for. In some cases, you can use the flowers, in others the leaves. Sometimes with herbs, you might be able to use the entire plant. There are many websites online with free information.

If you tend to have seasonal allergies, you might wish to avoid eating flowers. Most people should avoid eating the pollen, in order to avoid allergic reactions and to improve the taste of the flowers.

Good edible options include roses, mums, nasturtium, lavender and pansy.

Know What You Like

Edible flowers and herbs are very much a personal taste and preference. Think about the kind of herbs you use in your cooking these days, and how handy it might be to grow your own. As for flowers, check the descriptions of common edible flowers in relation to taste, whether they are sweet or savory, and so on. Then you can start planning your growing, harvesting and drying.

Choose Flowers and Herbs That Dry Well

Not all edible flowers and herbs dry well, so choose ones you know will be hardy enough to survive the process, and ones you use regularly.

Hang Them Upside Down

Hanging the flowers and herbs upside down on a rack in a cool, dry place will help preserve them. They should be completely dry when you start; that is, with no dew on them. You can tie them into loose bunches with some cotton thread and hang them by the thread from hooks. They will usually take four to seven days to dry completely.

Once they are dried, you can remove flowers, leaves and so on from the stems and harvest the edible parts of the plant. For flowers, cut them in half and clean out any pollen or other inedible parts.

Store your harvest in cool, dry containers. Be sure to label each one so you don’t get any surprises when you use them in cooking.

Using Your Own Oven

Set your oven to 140 degrees F. Line some cookie sheets with paper towels. Lay the herbs in a single row on the towels. Heat for about 30 minutes, then check on them and turn them over. Heat through for another 20 to 30 minutes, but do not allow them to burn, or else all their nutrients and their taste will be gone.

Trim the edible parts and store in a cool, dry place.

Keep Things Dry

No matter which method you use, be sure the flowers and herbs are completely dry before storing them. Otherwise, they will develop mildew and become useless.

Recipes

There are many recipes that call for dried herbs, so have fun experimenting. As for edible flowers, you will need to do some research, but you should be able to find a range of soups, stews, sauces, salads and desserts. Dried herbs are three times stronger in taste than fresh, so use sparingly.

Different Ways to Use Edible Flowers

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Edible flowers work great in a range of recipes, from soups and stews to salads. But their vivid colors and pretty appearance can also help you create a whole new level of interest and flavor as you produce more exotic-looking dishes, or use the flowers as vibrant garnishes.

Here are a few ideas for using your edible flowers.

Ice Cubes

Place a flower or two in each compartment of an ice cube tray. Add water and freeze. Add to clear drinks. Also uses fresh flowers as garnish. Depending on what flowers you choose, they can add a lemony tang, taste of cucumber, and more.

Popsicles

Add flowers to your popsicle containers, fill with liquid, add the stick and freeze. You can have a colorful array of sunny-looking popsicles laden with flowers and interesting tastes, such as lemon mint or lavender.

Lollipops

You can make your own lollipops with sugar syrup and sticks. Try to find one perfect flower per pop. You can then arrange them on a stand and dazzle people with the colors.

Candied Petals

Candied violets have been used for centuries, both as a sweet treat and as an elegant way to decorate cakes. Create a box of your own to pass around when guests come, or give as gifts.

Jellies/Turkish Delight

Clear gelatin and some sugar can be the foundation of vividly-colored jellied candies. You can also add rosewater and rose petals if you like, to make your own Turkish delight. Make a tray of it, chill well, and cut into small squares. Toss the squares in some powdered sugar to stop them sticking together.

Cake Decorations

Fresh or dried edible flowers can dress up any cake. You can also use candied flowers. Some people use buttercream frosting and place the flowers around the top and sides of the cake.

Other cooks use fondant icing, a soft sugar paste that you roll out until it is large enough to cover the cake you wish to frost. Consider scattering flowers and petals onto the fondant as you give it a last roll out before you place it on top of the cake.

Use edible flowers as charming cupcake toppers. You can also make frosting from the flowers, such as rose.

Cookie

Make your usual sugar cookie dough. Roll it out, cut into cookies, and roll a fresh flower into the top of each cookie. Use a variety of blossoms and you will be able to create a stunning-looking cookie platter.

Garnish for Serving Platters

Garnish can really make your platters stand out, such as cheese and fruit or dessert platters.

Cocktails

Some liquors can be enhanced with flowers, such as adding them to a bottle of vodka. You can also create various syrups out of edible flowers to add color, flavor and consistency to cocktails and mocktails (you can use seltzer instead of alcohol in most cases).

Teas

Some edible flowers and botanicals like hibiscus and rose hip are actually the basis for most commercial herbal teas on the market, so you can have fun experimenting with different blends. The most basic herbal tea can be made with fresh or dried chamomile flowers. It is pretty, and good for the digestion.

Yogurt Parfaits

Layer the flowers with layers of yogurt, and perhaps some granola or nuts, for a light, refreshing dessert or breakfast.

Use these and your own ideas to brighten up your dishes with edible flowers.

Easy-to-Grow Edible Flowers

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Edible flowers have been used for centuries, both raw and cooked. Edible flowers may seem like a strange idea at first, but they are packed with plant nutrients known as phytochemicals, plus a range of vitamins and minerals.

Best of all, you don’t always need a large garden to grow your own edible flowers. Some can be grown in container gardens, window ledges and window boxes. It’s a case of starting out with good seeds and soil, following instructions about watering, and using natural pest control methods as needed.

flowers

Here are some flowers which are perfect for beginners wanting to grow them and add them to recipes. When buying the seeds, always check for the Latin name to make sure you are getting an edible variety and not a potentially dangerous cousin.

Borage (Borago officinalis)

These star-shaped flowers come in pink, violet and blue, and taste slightly of cucumbers. Borage is popular in savory dishes like soups and stews. You can also freeze the flowers in water to make ice cubes to add to summertime drinks for some extra refreshment. It is an excellent dried herb to always keep on hand. It can be grown in any degree of sunlight, and pretty much any soil.

Chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum morifolium, or Chrysanthemum x grandiflorum)

Mums taste the way they smell, slightly spicy and pungent. Use sparingly in salads, stir fries and rice dishes; a little usually goes a long way. Mums need lots of sunlight and do well in most soils as long as they are well-drained.

Daylilies

These flowers taste sweet and floral. They are best harvested when the buds are just about to open. They are used in Asian cuisine, salads and desserts. They thrive in the sun in moist soil which is well-drained.

Geraniums (Pelargonium)

These can vary considerably in taste, from spicy nutmeg or ginger to citrus or peppermint. The lemon and peppermint-tasting varieties work well in ice cream, sorbet, and ice cubes. Freeze the flowers and then use the cubes to liven up your pitchers or punch bowls. Geraniums like light and well-drained soil.

Lavender (Lavandula)

Lavender has many uses around the home, including as parts of recipes. English lavender varieties (Lavender angustifolia) have the best flavor for recipes, which range from sweet to savory. Lavender water, candy, sauces and dressings all have a light citrus taste with an underlying tang of rosemary and sage. Remove all the flowers from the stalk when cooking. These plants love sunlight and need well-drained soil.

Nasturtium

Nasturium is the most popular of all edible flowers, and has been used for centuries as a component of salads and as an ingredient similar in taste to watercress. You can eat both the leaves and flowers. They come in a wide range of colors, so work well as a contrasting color in salads and as a garnish. This plant thrives well in both sun and light shade.

Pansies

Pansies come in a range of colors and generally taste similar to grapes. The flowers are used for garnish, salads and cake decoration. Pansies will grow well in anything except direct sunlight. The moisture levels will vary by the type of pansy, so read the seed packet carefully.

Pinks

Pinks have a delicate flavor with touch of cloves. They are popular as an addition to hot tea and cider. The flowers are also used as an attractive garnish for creamy soups, fruit salad, and cookie platters. Pinks need a lot of sunlight and a very rich soil in order to thrive. There are different species of pinks, so be sure to read the seed packet carefully.

Why It Is Important to Drink Water to Assist in Healthy Eating

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Water makes up over 70% of the human body. So it is no surprise that water is one of the most important things that the body can receive, especially when you are attempting to embark upon a healthy eating journey.

Water can help you to stay on track and focus on eating healthy and nourishing foods rather than falling back on the same processed junk that got us into an unhealthy mess in the first place.

water

So what exactly is it important to drink water?

First of all, it helps to flush toxins out of the body. When we aren’t drinking enough water, it can be almost impossible for our bodies to get rid of the bad things that are accumulating inside us. It can cause infections and other complications. Fortunately, water helps to eradicate the things that contaminate our bodies so that we can begin to get healthy right away.

Another great reason to drink water is because if you want to be healthy, you have to be active as well. When you drink enough water, then you begin to realize that your body has far more energy than it used to have. Instead of being tired and fatigued all the time, you will have an abundant amount of focus and the ability to concentrate. This can be very important, especially if you are in school or you have an mentally or physically demanding job to do.

Even if you do not, walking around during your life with little energy is very dangerous and should be avoided. Make sure that you have water in your body so that it can help to nourish your brain and your body all at the same time.

Water also helps to support the immune system.

If you are prone to illness, then making sure that you drink enough water is one of the most surefire ways to guarantee that you are doing everything you can to support your immune system. Water is something that helps to boost this important aspect of our bodies so that we can help to brace ourselves against colds and flu’s, and heart disease. Water can even help you to eliminate the free radicals and toxins that can contribute to cancer. Getting rid of carcinogenic waste in our stomach is very important, and water helps us do just that.

If you are interested in the physical effects of drinking water, there are several benefits there as well. It can help to clear your skin, as your body is eliminating waste and other ways rather than through your pores. It can provide your body with a healthy glow and a soft texture.

Water is one of the most antiaging properties there is.

Not only that, but it is highly beneficial for your health and well-being. If you want to embark upon a journey of healthy eating, make sure you take water with your meals so that you can fully reap the benefits for yourself!

Healthy Eating After Exercise for Best Results

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Being healthy is a lifestyle choice, and it is one that includes diet and exercise both. But how do you figure out how to balance the two of them in a way that will provide you with the greatest possible result?

When you want to see yourself losing weight and exercising in a very effective way, the best thing you can do for yourself is to begin seeing every lifestyle choice you make as being toward one ultimate goal. Exercise is a very important part of any daily routine, and if you are not capable of setting the time aside to exercise, you will find that it is far more difficult for you to feel good and lose weight.

healthy

For the best results, exercising before you eat a large healthy meal is something that is very helpful. Sometimes, it can be easy to eat too much, especially if you are eating right after a workout. If you choose to eat after a workout, you are going to be at the risk of packing on the pounds if you are not being conscientious about your choices.

Make sure you know how many calories you were able to burn during your workout so that you are not overdoing it after you have exercised. Maybe instead of exercising, drink water and have a piece of fruit or another high in protein snack that will provide you with the protein that you need in order to encourage muscle development.

The most risky thing about eating after a workout is that we often find ourselves developing a big appetite. That is why it can be helpful to drink a large glass of water after your workout, so that you are less prone to overeating. When we are developing muscle, it can make us very hungry, and that is just our bodies way of saying it is getting into gear in a very positive way.

If you find yourself uncertain about how to approach eating after a workout, you could always try to consult a nutritionist or dietitian who will give you a good idea of how you should formulate your meals. If you work out at the gym, there are often people there who are willing to help you work out a meal plan and an exercise plan that will work hand-in-hand toward helping you reach your fitness goals.

Healthy eating is a lifestyle choice that can completely turn your life around. Making sure that you know what to eat and when can help you to achieve your goals, both mentally and physically. Food can be a way of healing yourself and your body, and building muscle and stamina.

If you find yourself struggling with what to eat after a workout, try to keep it simple and nourishing. Eat fruits and vegetables and drink water. Have things with protein in them, like nuts and seeds. These are all great post workout snacks that will help you to gain muscle and continue to burn calories all day long!

 

How Water Can Affect Weight Loss

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Sometimes, especially if you were born in North America and raised on a standard American diet, you may find that you do not get enough water. Water is one of the building blocks of life, and without it, we may find ourselves consuming sugary drinks instead.

Sugary drinks are very unhealthy for us, and not only are they full of high fructose corn syrup that is almost impossible to get rid of in the body, but they are also full of acid that wears away at the enamel of your teeth and causes other complications.

water

What many people don’t realize is that drinking water is something that can actually help to aid in weight loss. If you are going on a journey of healthy eating, it is highly possible that you are doing so in an effort to lose weight, just as much as to be healthy. Being healthy is very important, but it can pose some challenges to people who are addicted to the standard American diet.

And unfortunately, this type of diet is highly rewarding in the mind’s eye and highly addicting as well. It is gratifying because we feel as if we are getting everything that we need to maintain her energy levels and satisfy our deep desire for high carb, high-fat, high sugar foods.

Fortunately, there is a way to begin to decrease your cravings for bad foods, and that is by drinking a lot of water. Water is so important to human functioning, but a lot of us begin to look the other way. We drink sugary soda and alcohol, which leads us to gaining weight rapidly because we are not nourishing our bodies with one of his most basic needs.

When you drink enough water, your body stops craving food the same way it does when you are not drinking water. When you are dehydrated, or you are simply thirsty, your body sends signals to your mind that make you think you may be hungry. The cues are the same. Our stomachs growl when we are thirsty, and our minds crave sustenance.

When we are able to identify why we are having these pangs of hunger, and hydrate our bodies, we will be operating at our peak capacity and making wise decisions when it comes to eating food. It is recommended that our daily intake of water is at least 64 ounces every day. That amounts to about 6 to 8 glasses of water daily so that you can operate at your greatest potential without having to worry about hunger pangs that can cause you to gain weight and lose track of your real needs.

Making sure that you are taking care of your body’s need for water is important. Drink as much as you can every day, up to the maximum amount. It will help you to stay on track and shed the pounds faster than you can even imagine. I have to do is stay focused on making your goal a reality and you will be well on your way to utilizing water as a step toward weight loss.

How to Get into the Habit of Cooking Healthy Vegetables

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The standard American diet is generally referred to as a diet that is lacking in fruits and vegetables. A lot of people don’t go out of their way to eat fresh fruit and vegetables on a regular basis. If anything, they settle for the kind that they can get in a can, and try to pretend that the French fries and their happy meals are nutritional enough as far as vegetables go.

Unfortunately, what you don’t always realize is that potatoes are actually full of starch, which break down into sugar in your body and cause you to have rapid weight gain. Potatoes is a staple food is something that has been beneficial to many cultures, most notably the Irish, but the way that Americans prepare potatoes make them far more unhealthy. Deep frying them in oil is a sure way to obesity.

Vegetables

Instead of treating potatoes as your vegetable side dish for every meal, make sure that you have something green, or at least something that is fresh from the produce section on your table every day.

Cooking fresh vegetables can be very tedious for somebody who is not used to the task. You have to make sure that they are all washed and cut up and prepared before you even begin to cook them. It is no wonder why people who are used to the convenience of processed foods and the American lifestyle find themselves hard-pressed to make the time to prepare vegetables properly for themselves and their families.

However, there are some ways that you can make this much easier for yourself. If you want to transition into a healthy habit of cooking vegetables, there are some steps that you can take easily.

First of all, as soon as you buy your vegetables, wash them and cut them up so there are any ready for cooking once it comes time for your meal. This will help to save you a tremendous amount of time in the long run, and when you take your vegetables out to cook them, you will be very proud to realize that you are making great choices for yourself and, your family, if you are cooking for more than one person.

Next, it doesn’t hurt to look into the recipe books and cooking videos online. If you learn how other people make vegetables and make them work in their favor, you can easily pick up the tips and skills that you need in order to make them taste good for yourself. It can be very hard to break into a new habit though, so be patient with yourself and don’t try to rush it.

Finally, make it a priority. Put it on your meal planners. Think about the vegetables that you want to eat, and think about how you want to prepare them. Eat them, and find ways to enjoy them. These are nature’s bounty. They are like medicine. They will make you safe and healthy and provide you with a clear path to a brighter future. Enjoy that, and begin your journey toward healthy eating today!

Healthy Eating – Your Future is Now

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Sometimes, it seems impossible to make plans for the future, especially if you are insecure and find that when you do make plans, they never turn out quite how you expect them to. This can create a sense of insecurity and anxiety in a person that can be difficult to overcome. Whether you want to succeed or not, these seeds of doubt can plant themselves in your mind and prevent you from doing what it is that you want to do the most.

When it comes to your future, healthy eating is the most basic building block that will help you to build yourself up into something you voice dreamed of being. If you are not nourishing your body now, in the future, you are likely to suffer for it. You want to suffer emotionally or mentally. You will suffer very physically. Without the proper vitamins and minerals in the body, you will ultimately find yourself suffering from debilitating diseases that could easily have been avoided if you were only more conscientious about the foods that you put into your body.

healthy eating

It can be surprisingly easy to live with malnutrition. You don’t always realize that you are lacking in essential vitamins and minerals until you are suffering the consequences for it. Sometimes, you can go to a doctor and they can administer you the vitamins that you are deficient in so that you can begin to heal properly from it, but sometimes, that stops being an option.

Prevention is the most important thing that you can do when it comes to diseases. Sometimes, you will never be able to cure what it is that your neglect has introduced into your life. And when the day comes that you are suffering for your mistakes, you will feel them extremely acutely. Everybody needs to pay close attention to what they’re putting in their bodies right now, because your future is now.

Something that can help you is looking into ways that your body needs to be nourished. Look into your body mass index and see what it is that you should be receiving every day nutritionally. Start taking multivitamins daily just to make sure that you are never lacking in the most essential nutrients and minerals. This is especially important if you are attempting to survive on a diet of processed foods and highly sugary beverages that make it almost impossible to lose weight.

If obesity is difficult enough for you to deal with, imagine finding yourself being diagnosed with cancer in the future because of processed food choices that you have made over healthier alternatives. These are issues that can sometimes be avoided, and food can also act as medicine as much is prevention. If you want to be healthy and happy, and you see yourself having a bright future, consider your eating habits. Makes good choices in the present because your future is being built on every choice you make today.

The Standard American Diet Dos and Don’ts

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In America today, the typical diet that most Americans consume daily is very unhealthy. The rest of the world has a nickname for it, which is the SAD diet. This stands for the standard American diet, and the standard American diet is one of the most dangerous lifestyle choices that a person can make.

First of all, it is chock full of red meat and dairy, which are absolutely fabulous when it comes to clogging your arteries and causing hypertension in the body. This might not be so bad if the red meat was grass fed, but unfortunately, many of the cows that are ingested in North America are treated with growth hormones and other chemicals that can leach into the meat and cause major problems in the human body.

american diet

The meat is contaminated by carcinogenic chemicals that are distributed to the cows to try to keep them growing at an accelerated rate, as well as to keep them free from diseases that could spread among the other cattle.

Another issue with the standard American diet is processed foods. Processed foods are highly available in North America, and often considered a staple food for the daily diet. The issue with this is that these foods lack fiber and have a tendency to be excessively high in saturated fats and sugars. Not to mention, the highly dangerous salt content. The standard American diet consists of foods that make it difficult to lose weight, especially those processed foods which contain high fructose corn syrup.

High fructose corn syrup is something that should be avoided at all costs. It sticks in the body and makes it nearly impossible to lose weight. Not only that, but it is basically pure sugar and it packs on the pounds like nothing else.

If you want to indulge in a standard American diet, there are some decent things that you could do. Try to eat fruits and vegetables with every meal. Don’t allow yourself to skip a meal that doesn’t have something green or another color of the natural food rainbow in it. If you need to have your meat, unit lean, and try to find grass fed beef to consume. Instead of eating white flour buns, look for whole flour alternatives. Whole-wheat has far more fiber and is much more nourishing for the body.

You want to be able to consume foods that are high in fiber, because not only do they help you feel full and digest things better so that you can eliminate the toxins from your body that cause you issues, but it also helps you to lose weight. Without fiber in your diet, you become fatter much faster, and it can become a very difficult trend to break out of.

As a rule, avoid the standard American diet if possible, but if you can’t, make sure that you are implementing changes that make it work for you. You’ll be glad you did, if not now, then in the future when you are not suffering from the same issues that other people who have lived off the standard American diet are dealing with.

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