Chocolate sundaes, chocolate milk, but....... chocolate gardens? Only at the Aska Lodge!

August 17, 6:53 AMBoston Bed & Breakfast ExaminerMarti Mayne

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Say "chocolate" and inngoers come running.  My kids love chocolate pudding, chocolate bars, chocolate sundaes and chocolate bunnies at Easter. Yet when it comes to chocolate flowers, only Mary Jo Stamper, co-owner of the Aska Lodge in Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, has taken the cocoa theme to her gardens. Inspired by the Chocolate Flower Farm, the best source for chocolate garden seeds and ideas, Mary Jo has created a chocolate lover's paradise in her garden. When guests arrive, Mary Jo rolls out the cocoa-carpet, which leads first to her garden then to the Lodge.

What’s a chocolate garden? I had to ask the question myself. “The idea of the chocolate garden is to plant chocolate colored and cocoa scented plants and flowers, and vegetables that are chocolately (or dark) colored,” says Mary Jo. What’s in Aska Lodge’s chocolate garden? Starting with the edible plants, you’ll find chocolate colored corn, peppers and cherry tomatoes, plus Black Velvet Nasturiums and Cafe au Lait Calendula flowers (both edible and a beautiful embellishment on breakfast plates). Chocolate Mint and Red Rubin Basil are used liberally in dishes served at the inn, too. ?“I also have a chocolate vine growing which is supposed to produce edible seed pods in the fall that will taste like tapioca pudding...  how cool is that?” exclaimed Mary Jo recently. In addition to the vegetables and herbs, chocolate colored flowers seen in the garden include Chocolate Sunflowers, Chocolate Cosmos, Chocolate Chip Ajuga, Milk Chocolate Foxglove, and Sweet Potato Vine. The garden is rimmed with fennel because of its chocolate color around the leaf. Whereas most people dread brown leaves as a sign of drought or dying blossoms, Mary Jo Stamper celebrates them in her chocolate garden.

Perhaps what’s the most fun is not only seeing but savoring the fruits from the garden. The vegetables and Red Rubin Basil are used in savory breakfast dishes. The Chocolate Mint is a guest favorite; it smells just like an Andes Chocolate Mint candy.

If you have a few of these chocolate flowers or herbs growing in your garden, why not create a B&B breakfast next time you have guests, or even just for yourself?  Here’ a recipe that’s sure to bring a smile to everyone at your breakfast table.

Fresh Fruit Salad with Chocolate Mint from Aska Lodge
Mix together in a in med. bowl:
3 Tablespoons orange juice
1 Tablespoon honey
1 tsp. chopped fresh chocolate mint or any kind of mint. Add to this mixture 3 cups chopped fresh fruit; use whatever is in season. Mary Jo recently used peaches, nectarines, blueberries, cherries, pineapple, apples, grapes, and bananas. The orange juice keeps the fruit from turning brown, and the honey gives it just a hint of sweetness without overpowering the fresh taste of the fruit.? The mint adds a special touch. Serve in 4 individual martini glasses. Garnish the top with a fresh chocolate mint leaf and a "Cafe au Lait" Calendula, or any edible flower such as Nasturiums.

Interested in seeing the Aska Lodge’s chocolate garden?  Catch a plane from Boston to Atlanta, GA or Chattanooga, TN.  Grab a rental car and it’s 1.5 hours from Chattanooga and 2 hours from the Atlanta Airport.

For more information
Aska Lodge: 178 Calen Dr., Blue Ridge, GA 30513, 706-632-0178
Chocolate Flower Farm:
Chocolate Mint Syrup Recipe 
Transportation to Aska Lodge

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