Rose geranium poundcake and other fine backyard edibles

June 26, 9:43 AMSF Backyard Herbal Projects ExaminerLisa Ludwigsen

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the SF Backyard Herbal Projects Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Rose geranium leaves' intriquing pattern on baked poundcake

One of our best medicines is delicious, fresh, natural food from the garden. Of garden herbs, we may know that peppermint is good for stomach trouble and comfrey heals bruises and contusions, but don’t forget that common backyard herbs make unusual and delicious edibles.

The following three ideas are easy to make all year, but are especially delicious made with fresh summer herbs. These are also great summer cooking activities for kids. If you don’t yet have these backyardbasics growing in your home garden, plant them now for next year's harvest or buy them in bulk online or in health food stores.

Lavender cookies
Lavender is one our most versatile and impressive medicinal herbs, healing internal and external ailments. In the kitchen it can be truly inspirational.

Lavender cookies are one easy way to use fresh or dried lavender from the garden. This basic sugar cookie recipe reminds us of how cookies used to taste – rich, fresh and satisfying.

To one stick of room temperature butter add 1 cup sugar, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract. Mix very well. Add 1 tablespoon lavender and 1 cup flour (a mixture of whole wheat and white flour gives the cookies more texture). Mix thoroughly.

Form dough into 1 inch balls, place on buttered baking sheet and flatten. Lightly sprinkle with a few lavender flowers. Bake in a 325* oven for 10-13 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove to a cooling rack for best results.

Rose Geranium Pound Cake
Scented geraniums are a garden workhorse. They are drought tolerant, grow in partial shade to full sun, are deer resistant and come in a vast array of leaf patterns and unusual scents like nutmeg, black pepper, and citrus. Scented geraniums aren’t spectacular bloomers but they serve as reliable landscape accents and hardy potted plants. Relatively easy to find at nurseries they are also one of the best plants to propagate from a cutting. Rose geranium is a favorite and has been used in potpourris and floral waters.

Bridget Harrington of Patrona Restaurant in Ukiah, CA www.patronarestaurant.com developed this unusual twist on a traditional dessert. The rose geranium leaves infuse the plain cake with a subtle but complex floral scent and flavor.

Follow the recipe for any basic pound cake, omitting half the vanilla and any other spices like nutmeg or cinnamon. Butter and flour the pan, then place a uniform layer of freshly picked rose geranium leaves on the bottom on the pan. Make sure the leaves are strongly scented. (Most of the time it isn’t necessary to wash the leaves, just make sure they are clean of debris). Pour the prepared batter over the leaves and bake according to the recipe. When the cake has cooled you will have a beautiful leaf pattern on the bottom of the cake. Slice off that layer and discard– kids like to try it, although it is crunchy and leafy. Served with ice cream and fresh blackberries or raspberries it is divine, but plain with a good cup of coffee works, too.

Lemon verbena is used in teas, perfumes and soap.

Lemon Verbena Iced Tea
Lemon verbena is a tall, leggy tender perenniel with extremely fragrant lemony leaves. Used in soaps, perfumes, and herbal preparations it makes an uplifting and refreshing lemony scented summer iced tea.

Combine about ½ cup chamomile or peppermint with 2 tablespoons fresh or dried lemon verbena leaves in a teapot. Cover with 6 cups boiling water. Let steep, covered, for 10 minutes. Strain and cool completely. Sweeten with honey or sugar as desired.

These are just a few ideas for bringing backyard herbs into the kitchen for healthy, out-of-the mainstream summer cooking. Remember to use herbs in teas, fruit desserts, ice cream, soups and sauces during these summer months when the garden is bursting with life. And harvest, dry and store them for use in winter.

Always make sure you have the correct plant before using or consuming and consult with a trained herbalist or reliable text (of which there are many) if you have questions. Always consult with a doctor before using any herb if you are pregnant.

Remember: Plants are here for our respected and appreciative use. It is our job to grow, get to know, and use them!

For more information, contact Lisa at lisa@schoolgardenco.com. Find high quality, all natural body care products at

www.schoolgardenco.com