How to Eat a Rose

A few tips for eating roses:

Never use roses from a florist, they are heavily sprayed and fertilized, neither of which you want to eat. And, florist roses have little fragrance and even less flavor. Instead, choose roses you grow yourself. Use roses that are fragrant (pinks and yellows often have the most fragrance and flavor) and that have not been sprayed with insecticide. Any rose is edible, just choose the ones that are the most fragrant because those will have the best flavor, too.

Rose and Raspberry Salad Dressing

This is easy, quick and is a great dipping sauce for fruit slices, too.

1/2 cup raspberry yogurt
1/2 teaspoon food grade rose water
2 teaspoons milk or water 1 tablespoon finely chopped fragrant rose petals

Blend together well and serve over mixed salad greens like the traditional bitter/mild European mixes.

Rose Tea Sandwich

This works well for weddings, teas, even children's birthday or tea parties!

Slice angel food cake into 1/2 inch thick slices. Spread one slide of the slice with softened cream cheese (or you can use butter). Layer that with lots of rose petals, mixing colors if you have them. Add another slice of angle food cake spread with cream cheese or butter and make a sandwich. Cut the sandwich into smaller triangles and serve with rose tea.

Rose and Black Tea

(Use dried or fresh rose petals for this)

1 tea bag, black tea, like Liptons or Luzianne
1 heaping tablespoon fresh rose petals or 2 teaspoons dry

Pour 1 cup boiling water over the tea and roses. Cover with a saucer and let steep for 5 min- utes. Sweeten with honey if desired.

Tip: Pick fresh roses in mid morning, after the dew has left but before the heat of the day and pull the petals off, placing them in plastic sandwich bags in the refrigerator; they will keep for up to a week without wilting.

How to Eat a Rose is available from my website: http://www.Longcreekherbs.com

Tiny Rose Cookies

Dainty little nibbles for tea time.

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons rose water
Tiny pinch of mace (less than 1/8 teaspoon)

Mix ingredients and blend thoroughly. Drop well apart like small marbles on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 370 degrees F. for 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Makes approximately 30 little cookies.

More my recipes for eating roses can be found in my book, How to Eat a Rose, from my website: www.LongCreekHerbs.com. Visit my garden blog for weekly updates on the garden at: http://jimlongsgarden.blogspot.com.

Cucumber Soup with Dill

I make this every summer and our family loves it. It's a great way to use up excess cucumbers.

Jim Long's Summer Cucumber Soup
Peel and slice 5 medium cucumbers, setting aside half the mixture.
Peel and slice 1 medium onion
2 teaspoons light vegetable oil

In a skillet, using the 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, saute half of the cucumbers and all of the onion until the onion is tender. Drain and let cool.

Put the cucumber/onion saute in a food processor and pulse blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl.
Place the remaining cucumbers in the food processor and to that add:
1 cup sour cream
4 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon freshly chopped dill
1 teaspoon any brand hot sauce (don't leave it out, it adds flavor, not heat)
Dash salt

Process until smooth, then add to the cooked cucumbers/onions. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. Add freshly chopped dill  and chopped cucumber as a topping on the bowls of soup. (I usually chill the bowls or cups, too).