What Every Bride Should Know When Planning A Wedding

You can add a sophisticated and an elegant personal touch by using crystallized edible flowers on your desserts, salads, ice cubes and garnishes. Here is how you can create these lovely edibles all you need is time, space and patience. Just a note, although inexpensive, creating crystallized (candied) flowers can be messy and very time consuming.

To create crystallized (candied) flowers, flower petals are prepared and then covered with a meringue paste and completely coated with super fine sugar. If you decide this is a project you’d like to try, make sure you have plenty of wire racks and lots of counter or table space for drying the flowers. If you have experienced a problem with ants or roaches you may want to reconsider the project. Flowers can take from 12 to 36 hours to completely dry. It’s not just the meringue paste and sugar that is drying it is the moisture within the flower and trying to speed up the drying process with a hair dryer or fan does not work. It will however coat everything in the room with a fine film of sugar that takes forever to clean up. Yes, this is the voice of experience speaking!

I do not recommend this project for young children or for those lacking in patience. Each individual petal must be completely painted on both sides with the meringue paste using an artist’s brush. (Fresh meringue should not be used because of salmonella bacteria.) The limp coated petals are then positioned or arranged on the drying rack. Using a rack with too much space between the wires will cause your petals to fall through and you will need to redo the entire process. A rack for barbecuing fish seams to work well. You can also buy window screening. Be sure to wash and dry the screening first and then you can lay it on top of the racks. Although the end result can be very lovely and wonderful the process can be a real headache.

So for all you brave hearted souls who wish to venture on and do it yourself, here are a few basic rules of crystallizing editable flowers.

1. Check with your local County Extension Service to make sure the flowers you want to use are edible. Not all flowers are editable some are quite poisonous.

2. Make sure that flowers have not been sprayed with insecticides, pesticides or other chemicals. If fertilizer has been used it should be approved for vegetable gardens. Of course the ideal situation is to grow the flowers yourself, preferably in an area that is protected from animals.

3. Do not pick flowers from the side of the road, flowers that have been exposed to animal wastes, or trash or vehicle emissions.

4. Do not use flowers from a florist or commercial grower. Chemicals are used to preserve and extend the life of cut flowers.

5. Know how the flower tastes. Just because it’s editable doesn’t mean it is going to taste good, some flowers just taste awful no matter how much sugar you put on them..

6. Pick flowers early in the morning before the sun has warmed the petals.

7. Remove the stem, all leaves and the stamen just before coating and dipping in sugar

8. Allow an entire day for this project and have all your supplies at hand.

9. Allow 12 to 36 hours for crystallized flowers to dry. (Do not use a fan or hair dryer unless you want sugar everywhere.)

10. Make a list of the editable flowers used and have it available at the reception just in case a guest has an allergic reaction. (How many of us know if we have a food allergy to pansies.)

11. Wait until the last minute to put crystallized blooms on a cake they will absorb moisture from the cake and become soggy.

12. Don’t try to use regular sugar it doesn’t work. (I tried it.) You must use super fine. (Super fine sugar is just that and it goes everywhere if there is the slightest breeze.)

13. Crystallized flowers can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months, or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.

RECIPE:
Crystallized /Candied Flowers

Prepared blooms - Commonly used flowers are violets, pansies, Johnny-jump-ups, rose petals, lilac, scented geraniums

Meringue paste (Use powdered egg whites to avoid salmonella, available in craft stores. Price $4 - $7 )

100 proof vodka (optional, used to help the flowers dry faster)

Superfine granulated sugar (from the baking section of your supermarket)

Artist’s paintbrush (fine)

Drying racks

Prepare the meringue paste beating until frothy. Add a few of drops of vodka to help the flowers dry faster. Paint each flower on both sides with meringue paste using the artist’s paintbrush. Be sure the entire surface of both sides of the flower is completely coated, or your petal will be ruined.

When thoroughly coated, cover with fine sugar and place on the drying racks for 12 to 36 hours.
Flowers are dry when stiff and brittle to the touch.

Flowers can be stored in an airtight container and put in the freezer for up to 6 months or refrigerated in an airtight container up to a month.

If you decide this project isn’t your piece of cake but still want candied flowers, they can be purchased from the Internet and are sold by the package. Packages can vary in size anywhere from 20 to 100 depending on the flower chosen. Flowers range in price from fifty cents to a dollar each depending on the size and type of flower ordered and expect to pay additional fees for shipping and handling.