2018 GARDENER'S IDEA BOOK
Welcome to Grace's Potager Garden
Grace loves to spend time in the garden with her daughter. She also loves tea, so she set out to plant a whimsical mix of herbs, vegetables, edible and ornamental flowers. This way, when she hosts a backyard tea party, the herbs and ingredients she needs are right there at her fingertips. She also gets to teach her daughter the joys of plucking and eating ingredients fresh from the garden.
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Grace grows the dill, chives, and cucumbers to make delicious tea sandwiches. She also grows lavender and other herbs for both tea, and infused lemonade. She likes using edible flowers for things like flower petal chocolate (see recipe below) and cute garnishes on tea saucers. Check out more recipes from Grace's tea party below!
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Herbal Tea
What Grace Planted
• Lavender
• Spearmint
• Hops
• Lemon verbena
• Calendula
• Lemon balm
Hops
Not only is hops an amazing ingredient for tea infusions and herbal treatments for anxiety, stress and sleeplessness, it's vigorous, climbing foliage makes it a very attractive ornamental plant.
Lavender Lemonade
Serves 6
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Ingredients:
4-6 lemons
3/4c-1c sugar
1/2c garden grown
lavender blooms
3c cold water
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Supplies:
Citrus juicer
Strainer
Spoon or spatula
Pan and mixing bowl
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1. Juice lemons then strain out pulp and seeds.
2. Pour juice into pan. Add sugar and lavender blooms.
3. Heat to a simmer then remove from heat, cover and leave lavender to infuse for at least 30min.
4. Strain out lavender and allow syrup to cool to room temp
5. Add water and ice as needed before serving. Enjoy!
Tea Sandwiches
Makes a Dozen Sandwiches
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Ingredients
12 Slices of sandwich bread
1 package cream cheese
1/2 cup fresh herbs and edible flowers
(Grace used dill and chives)
1-2 seedless cucumbers
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Supplies:
Knife
Spatula and mixing bowl
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1. Remove cream cheese from packaging and place it in the mixing bowl. Let it reach room temperature.
2. Dice herbs and/or edible flowers.
3. Add herbs/flowers to cream cheese and mix thoroughly.
4. Spread a thin layer of the herbed cream cheese onto all the bread slices.
4. Slice the cucumber thinly and spread evenly over the cream cheese.
5. Assemble sandwiches and slice diagonally. Cut off crust if desired.
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Edible Flowers
Flower Petal Chocolate
Watch video to see the process
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Ingredients
White chocolate chips or discs
Food dye
Colorful edible flowers
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Supplies:
Microwave or stove
Heat proof bowl and spatula
Parchment paper
Baking pan
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1. Remove flower petals from stems. Slice larger petals like rose petals into small strips. Set aside.
2. Cover baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Place white chocolate in microwave safe bowl. Microwave in short intervals (about 30 seconds), stirring well in between.
4. When chocolate is completely melted, add food coloring as desired and stir well.
5. Pour out melted chocolate onto the baking pan, tilting the pan as needed to spread it in an even layer.
6. While chocolate is still soft, sprinkle flower petals on the surface then allow chocolate to harden.
7. When chocolate has hardened, tap the surface with the back of a spoon to crack it into small pieces.
8. Enjoy!
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There are many edible flowers out there. Take a look at the ones Grace planted below.
