I devised this salad while working in the garden. I don't know whether it seems like an odd combination or not, but it's pretty. And, while my significant other is not really in to eating flowers---he makes faces like he's just bit into a thistle--I don't mind at all. So, after the carrot-orange soup last night, this is what we ate. The greens are some second-growth baby kale that I wanted to use up so I can re-purpose the pot. It was still quite tender and mild.
The chives and dandelions were within easy reach too...um, dandelions abound in my garden :). The strawberries weren't from the garden though...they came from California. For the dressing, I used Meatless Mama's orange/raspberry dressing recipe that she posted with a dandelion salad earlier this week. The dressing was a perfect compliment to this foraged affair...Thanks Janet!
A recent find in my freezer was some puff pastry from times gone by...can't remember when I used it last, but it must have been in there a while. The galettes were a simple effort to use this pastry up. I topped them with some fresh rosemary, oregano, and thyme. All in all, it was a delightful meal if I do say so myself. The husband was left a bit peckish though, so after all that, he tucked into some leftover lentil pie, while I moved on to dessert. I picked up a Maui Gold pineapple this week. I could happily live on it; it is so delectably sweet and juicy.
Wait a minute, that's not all, we also had some of this Theo dark chocolate:
Perfect!
AdHoc Note:
To anyone who may be wondering...unless you buy puff pastry from a bakery or some really upscale posh stuff, store-bought frozen puff pastry is generally vegan. Obviously, it's not exactly health food....but traditional puff pastry made with butter is not either. The puff pastry I buy is from the Aussie Bakery, a locally run business round these parts, and the pastry is vegan. Ciao :)
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Rose,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds great to me. Sorry you live so far away I would have joined you and we could have fed "the boys" something more manly. Dan would have made a face too John is not alone. LOL.
talk to you later,
Alicia
Alicia,
ReplyDeleteYes, I guess eating flowers doesn't seem like a very macho thing does it? I would have loved the company...maybe someday.
ttyl
My chives are just thinking about opening. I may have to make some ravioli and top them with chive flowers. We will see what I can come up with. When I made ravioli dough with white flour I put the little flower petals in the dough just before I rolled it. They were beautiful. But I don't know if they will be as easy to see in whole wheat dough.
ReplyDeletettyl,
Ali
That is such a cute idea, very charming. I was trying to think of ways to use the flowers...I'm also thinking they would be pretty in some of those fresh spring/summer rolls. You've got me daydreaming about ravioli now!
ReplyDeleteRose,
ReplyDeleteHave you rolled fresh herbs into ravioli dough? That is what gave me the original idea.
I have also made chive blossom vinegar. If you have a lot of flowers you can do that.
BTW, I am always dreaming about ravioli. It is nice to have company. LOL.
Ali
Wow, what a post! Again, I think our husbands are similar here, too, including Alicia's. I've been gently steering my family towards the idea of raw every now and then (we already do salads, of course), but this would be over the top for them! I am so glad for you that you have someone that will at least try it, even though his nose might be in the air the whole time. :)
ReplyDeleteI've put fresh herbs in pizza dough, but not ravioli dough. The vinegar idea sounds lovely too. Thanks for the ideas. I'd love to see the ravioli if you make them...you deserve a special treat soon I think.
ReplyDeleteBlessed Mama,
ReplyDeleteI agree that our husbands sound like they would get along well at the dinner table. Eating flowers may not be manly, but it's fun; I bet kids would like it.
Rose,
ReplyDeleteGlad we started chatting about ravioli. They are soft enough that I can probably add them sooner than other things. When I do I will add the fresh herbs and see how that works.
I think you will like chive blossom vinegar. It has a mild flavor and beautiful pink color.
Blessed Mama,
Something tells me most husbands (unless they were chefs) would look at eating flowers with disdain. Mine seems to become a little more adventurous as he ages. I hope yours does too.
Ali
Your salad looks wonderful — it makes me miss my Wisconsin garden even more than I already do. I've eaten lots of flowers but I don't think I've ever eaten dandelion flowers — just the leaves. I might break them apart rather than eating them whole. Do you like them?
ReplyDeleteI love that you're growing kale in a pot! I want to grow stuff but don't want to accumulate big, heavy pots at a temporary residence. My son bought me a large basil plant but that's all I have; all of my gardening supplies are in Wis. :(
My favorite Theo bar is the orange. Yum. Have you tried any of the chocolates from Chocolate Shoebox?
That salad is beautiful. Especially with the flowers.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea,
ReplyDeleteI understand how you feel about your garden; you must miss it especially this time of year. The dandy flowers are feathery, so as long as you are prepared for that texture, I think they are very palatable. They taste more like the stems, rather than the leaves. I had never thought of eating the flowers before either, until I gave some to my guinea pigs, who devoured them happily in no time.
I know what you mean about accumulating things if you're in a temporary situation. Maybe you could find some containers cheaply on Craigslist, that way, you could use them until you go back to Wis and try to sell them yourself or give them away. I see containers left by the side of the road as free-fodder from time to time, so that's an option too. I really feel your pain about not having access to a garden space.
I haven't tried the orange Theo bar, but I really enjoyed the cherry almond one, so will have to try more. I haven't been to the Chocolate Shoe Box yet (bad me)...I really have been meaning to stop by as it's not far from my place, I'm half holding off until my next pay period:)
Hi Tami,
ReplyDeleteThanks, I thought the flowers looked so pretty that it hardly mattered how it tasted, but it was good too.
I can imagine the face he makes because my love does it too...."bit into thistle" lol perfect description!
ReplyDeletePurple clover is supposed to be excellent for you though.
old habits die hard....it's name is red clover....I think most call it purple
ReplyDeleteLisa,
ReplyDeleteHi! Red/purple clover is a great idea...we used to suck on the little clover petals as kids because we thought that's were honey came from. I'll be tossing some into a salad soon!
I thought they were already on it lol...what are the purple flowers?
ReplyDeleteWhatever it is, the salad looks divine:)
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteThe purple flowers are chive flowers...they look very much like clover.
:)
I remember trying to get my dad to taste a nastitium and the response was interesting. Men eating flowers - mmm.
ReplyDeleteA pretty salad to the eyes and I am liking the simplicity of the tomato galettes.
Hi Mangocheeks,
ReplyDeleteThe galettes were indeed simple. It's been interesting to hear about everyone's experiences with eating flowers...or not eating them as the case may be :)
Rose, that looks absolutely beautiful! I am glad you enjoyed the dressing, thank you for the kind words. You are very sweet. That would be the perfect meal for me, but sadly my hubs would never touch it. Those yellow tomatoes are my absolute favorite and I am growing some again this summer. Can't wait!
ReplyDeleteJanet,
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see your tomatoes! I love the yellow ones too. The dressing was great; I'll definitely be making it again. Thanks!
Very beautiful. I used to suck on the clover flower nectar when I was little too! Tasted like root beer to me. I feel guilty for taking food from the bees. Weird.
ReplyDeleteSV,
ReplyDeleteI don't remember tasting like root beer, but now that you mention it...it is a bit mean to take food away from the bees...maybe I'll stick to dandelion flowers from now on; there are more than enough for both humans and bees in my garden.
You always make everything look so good! Love love love pineapple.
ReplyDeleteThanks Heather,
ReplyDeleteI love pineapple too!
Looks like a nice spring salad.
ReplyDeleteCoryM,
ReplyDeleteHi and thanks. It was nice.
Hi, Rose!
ReplyDeleteI'm way overdue with a comment on this post, but have been wanting to tell you again how much I adore your blog. It always breathes a lovely dose of serenity into my day when I visit it. I have a feeling you are a very calming person to be around. :-)
And as always, your photos are wonderful and your culinary creations are so original and always too pretty to eat! (But I'd eat 'em anyway if I were in snagging range, lol). It's been a long time since I've been eaten any flowers, and I can't remember now what flowers it was that I ate (it was in a restaurant). I never think to add flowers to our food, though if I did, I know BW would eat them with nary a second thought. (That boy is utterly unafraid of goddess energy). :-) All of the flowers we consume are brewed in our tea. Chamomile, lavender, rose petals, etc make their way into our tea all the time. I pick rose hips to eat in the fall, does that count? :-) I wonder if chokecherry flowers taste good? We usually have an abundance of those... I'll have to taste one and let you know! I don't think the bees will mind sharing. :-)
Laloofah,
ReplyDeleteI love to hear from you on the blog, but please don't ever feel like you're "overdue" on a comment. Stop by when you feel like it and comment or not...it's all good.
Your words are very sweet and although, I've never been good at taking compliments, I do sincerely thank you for your kindness.
I sincerely enjoy your blog too. It's one that I actually sit down to read and spend time on...like on a lunch break...I find it thought-provoking, fun, and with your repertoire of poems and quotes, inspirational and moving too. I think I would like living out there in the wilds like you...but maybe at a slightly lower altitude! (lol)
I'm not a huge flower eater myself, as I generally like to look at them and that's kind of difficult to do once they're in my tummy. Your tea brews sound lovely. I'll be waiting to hear about your verdict on the chokecherries.
Dear Rose,
ReplyDeleteMaybe you don't consider yourself good at taking compliments, but you certainly know how to respond to them graciously! :-) So on the one hand, you are actually very good at accepting compliments, even if taking them to heart poses a bit of a challenge (as it does for so many of us!)
And I thank you sincerely for what you wrote about my blog! I'm so glad you enjoy it, and that it provides a nice interlude in your day! Your blog does the same for me... I enjoy spending time here and savoring it. :-)
Why on earth would you feel the need to live at a slightly lower altitude? LOL! I wish I lived in the wilds... I'd like to live where I could see, hear and experience only nature and wildlife neighbors. But I suppose compared to where most people live, where I live is still pretty "wildish." :-) I think you'd make an excellent "wild child!" Bet you'd take to it in an instant. You've certainly transformed your portion of city into a verdant oasis that must make urban life seem very far away indeed.
It shouldn't be too long before the chokecherry flowers make their entrance, and I'll let you know how they taste as soon as I've had a nibble! Maybe I'll even toss some into a cup of tea! :-)
P.S. LOL-- the word I had to type to prove I'm not a spambot was "Kingotea! :-D
Sometimes the captcha codes are fun! Kingotea...it must have known you were talking about chokeberry tea!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lalo from the bottom of my wild child heart...have a great weekend.