Farmers’ Market: Flower fun

    Flamboyant blossoms like daffodils and narcissus by the armful and bunches of lilacs overflowing a vase are both the focal point of the room and the source of heavenly scents to fill the entire house. Delphiniums, gladiolus, and hollyhocks planted now will make brazen statements along the back of your flower beds in the months to come. But dainty wildflowers and bedding plants like johnny-jump-ups, woodland violets, alpine blossoms in a rock garden or old style pansies barely taller than the surrounding grass? They are too small to fill arms or vases of any size, yet are precious and often much loved by children of all ages who “discover” them out-of-doors. So let’s save these tiny mites a different way … let’s make edible, all-natural decorations for cupcakes or tea party treats for special little people who delight in such things.     Making candied flowers is simple and easily accomplished by a child with some supervision. Select blossoms that are fully opened and symmetrically arranged. Pick them with a bit of the stem still attached so a “handle” is available while they are worked on. Beat an egg white until it forms stiff, dry peaks (like you were making meringue for pie). Use a small paintbrush from a child’s watercolors set or similar, to paint both sides of the blossom thinly with egg white, then sprinkle them all over with extra-fine granulated sugar. Arrange them carefully, without touching each other, on a cookie sheet covered with plain brown paper (like a grocery bag or paper packing from a box). Put them in a very low oven (100-150 degrees Fahrenheit) to dry completely. The point is to dry them and not bake them … if they brown, turn it down!
    The resulting blossoms will look very much like they did in the garden or woodland, but are candied so they will not fade. Fully preserved, edible violets scattered on a cake will draw a “Wow!” from big people and little people will be all smiles and giggles when served a peanut-butter-and-pansy sandwich. What fun!
    Flowers, eggs, and all sorts of other wonderful things are available at the Presque Isle Farmers Market on Saturday mornings at the Aroostook Centre Mall parking lot.
    Editor’s note: This weekly column is written by members of the Presque Isle Farmers’ Market. For more information or to join, contact their secretary/treasurer Steve Miller of Westmanland at 896-5860 or via e-mail at beetree@xpressamerica.net