A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Candy making

Has anyone ever tried candying the leaves and flowers from herbs? All you have to do is wash them off, brush on lightly beaten egg whites, and sprinkle them with fine grain sugar. Once they dry you have a crunchy candy.

I've done this before with mint leaves and I've heard you can also use violet petals, but does anyone know of other plants to use?

*smile*
applscruff

Applescruff,
I have been meaning to get after your post,
and kept getting side tracked...(I couldn't
remember the name of the post, and had to hunt for it...)

Anyhow, we had a conversation here before about someone wanting ideas for a garden tour......
And we got on the subject of edible flowers....

Discussion on Edible Flowers

Hope this'll give you some ideas for the edible
flowers!!

Let us know if it helped!!!

Weezie

i like nasturtiums and my favorite is borage. You can do mint too!!!

This will be my 3rd year to herb garden. Moved to a new home this winter, so I had to leave my well established herb garden behind & I am starting new this year. I had no idea you could candy herbs/flowers. I have made my own spices for cooking, medicinals, teas, sachets, etc...but candy is brand new to me. I have a couple of questions...

How do you store the candy, in an air-tight container? In the fridge?

Does the egg white on the candy spoil? How quickly must the candy be consumed after making it?

Thanks so much for this new way to enjoy my herbs

This sound yummy .

need to use as soon as possible. make sure flowers are totally dry too. Also i take blooms and freeze them in ice cubes when serving drinks

Thanks for the tip & the ice-cube idea buglady

Thanks for the hints everyone! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. It's getting near the end of term which means my professors are giving triple the normal amount of homework. I'm going to try candying mint leaves if I cna ever find some. I tried growing some from seed but dorm rooms are not known for keeping consistent temperatures.

Have a BIG crop of Valarian, anyone interested??

I LOVE valarian:) Very useful medicinally & makes a good tea. I have some seeds I am putting in my herb garden later this spring, but haven't any growing yet.

Hey valarian looks like the stuff that grows at my house in the fields maybe it is...hmmm i am not sure??

Danielle, if you have valarian growing at your mom & dad's home out in the field...well then we are going to have to grab some baskets & go out in that field & grab a bunch...valerian is good stuff

So Chrissy, what exactly and how do I use valarian?
Oh , and we been real busy, so SORRY I haven't gotten back to ya on those links, they are interesting, I have your emails "marked" as Important, so I won't forget Ya!! Ya Know...feeble mind here

Hey Phil...Valerian is a great little herb. Here is a few recipes & some info on Valerian also.

Harvest roots for medicinal use in the fall of their second year.

MEDICINAL: Valerian is a relaxer, and is very effective for insomnia. It is often used as a tranquilizer, but it leaves no sluggish effects on the user. It is used for nervous tension, pain relieving, and for muscle spasms. It should not be taken over a long period of time, as it can cause mental depression in some people after long-term steady use.

NERVE CALMING TEA:

Chamomile (1 part)
Lavender flowers (1 part)
Peppermint leaves (1 part)
Fragrant valerian root (2 parts)
Fennel seed (3 parts)
Milfoil (3 parts)
Steep 1 tsp. in 1/2 cup boiling water. Take 1/2 cup warm per day.


MENSTRUAL PROBLEMS TEA:

Goldthread (8 parts)
Tansy (8 parts)
Fragrant valerian root (4 parts)
Rosemary leaves (2 parts)
Rue herb (2 parts)
Boil 1-1/2 tsp. mixture slowly in 2 cups of water, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes and strain. Take 1 cup morning and night. Sweeten if desired.

Valerian Information

hi everyone!im a new member hir & im so excitd...well,i got curious abt d violet flowers used 4 candying...and i think its a good topis 4 my paper...to those who know cn i hv its complete recipe? tenx...mwuah..mwuah

Hi Lee Welcome to the forum. Its really nice to meet you! I'm not positive but I think you might be our first member from the phillipines

The only sweets I ever had that had herbs in it were brownies.

....actually im a biology student

Will the same recipe work for pansies??
Frustrated...join the crowd of those who ate those "special" brownies! Phil

It should work for pansies...Its a basic recipe for candying any edible flowers.

Karen

Phil, you mean there are others out there???

you can eat borage.. they are nice to freeze in ice cubes for drinks....