Did you know that roses are edible? Those beautiful, billowing, velvet fragrant petals are good to eat as well as look at.
All roses in their natural state are edible, but you should only eat those that you know for sure were grown without the use of chemicals. Never eat roses from a supermarket or florists’ shop as these are most certainly grown with numerous chemical applications.
Any rose grown here at Cherry Tree Flower Farm is totally edible as I never use chemicals of any kind on my flowers.
You can use the petals when they are fresh or when they have been dried.
Collect your petals when the rose has ‘blown’, that is, when the petals look loose and are easily removed from the rose. Taking just the petals, leaves the seed head behind to form rose hips in the autumn, but earlier in the season you can use petals from deadheaded roses too.
Just as different roses have different perfumes, so they will have different flavours. Generally, the stronger the perfume the stronger the flavour but just experiment. Try them and see.
Uses
decorate cakes and desserts
garnish salads
add a flourish to cocktails
rose water
flavoured sugar
rose petals in honey as a spread
rose petal jam
fruit leather
rosehip syrup [from the hips]
Crystalising petals preserves them in sugar so that they last longer.
To make crystallised roses you will need:
Rose petals
Caster sugar
Egg whites
1. Put the caster sugar and egg whites into separate bowls.
2. Use a fork or whisk to break up the egg whites. They don’t need to be frothy.
If you have concerns about the safety of eating raw egg white you can buy pasteurised egg whites in a carton from most large supermarkets. It will be in the chilled section.
3. Dip the rose petal into the egg white and shake off any excess. You can paint the egg white on with a small brush if preferred. Ensure that all surfaces are covered.
4. Dip the wet rose petal into the caster sugar, covering to ensure that all surfaces have contact with the sugar. Shake off any excess.
5. Repeat with all of the petals.
6. Place the petals onto a plate to dry. Check every so often that they aren’t stuck to the plate. You can use greaseproof paper if you wish but I’ve never had a problem. Too much egg white causes the sticking. Turn the petals over occasionally to speed up the drying. At room temperature they will be completely dry in about 24hrs, at which time they will be hard and crunchy.
7. Once completely dry, store in an airtight container in your food cupboard. Petals may change colour over time [especially darker ones] so if the colour is important to your dish or event, use soon after making.
They make a lovely, sweet treat just as they are but can also be used to decorate cake, desserts, ice cream etc.
How beautiful would they look in little bon bon dishes on a wedding buffet table?
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