Past Newsletters
Vol 2 No 9
Majestic Blooms in a Class of Their Own
This month we take pride in bringing you the simple elegance of a regal flower … the genus Rosa. A botanical bloom that has been heralded in literature and song through the ages as the “queen of flowers,” the rose is a lasting reminder that classic beauty only grows stronger through the years.
It was with this in mind that we chose this imperial beauty for the month of September, letting you, our customers, appreciate and enjoy the singular grace inherent in all roses.
The Stately Ladies
Roses come in many colors, sizes, styles and fragrances and it is a particularly beautiful and delicate medley we present to you this month. The first, Lady Livia, is a modern rose with an elegant look, awash with the colors of red and yellow and rated as one of the highest quality cut roses. The perfect complement to this floral beauty is the Pink Majolika, a hardy but feminine variety with a gentle pink hue, first bred in Germany in 1988 and possessing the same lasting vase life as the Lady Livia.
Both miniature rose sprays, they have a unique form with 3 to 6 small blooms per stem, usually less than 1 to 1.5” in size. These roses mature on stem lengths of 20 to 30 centimeters, compared to the normal size rose stem, which is 40 to 50 centimeters. The miniature rose is a petite version of the “floribunda”, a rose that is renowned for its hardiness, continuous prolific blooms and its clusters of delicate blossoms.
A Crowning Backdrop for the Regal Rose
A sparkling complement to this month’s flower selection is the Italia Variegated Pittosporum, an evergreen miniature with creamy white-dappled, grey-green leaves. Perfect in color and size, it hails from Italy (as one might expect) and, being a baby itself, frames our lady flowers superbly with its glistening leaves. A green that is popular for weddings, we know you’ll deem it a favorite too and delight in the way it brings out the beauty of your roses.
The Evolution of the Rose
Excerpted from “All About Roses”, Ortho Publishing Co.
There are few flowers that can make a better claim to the title “queen of the flowers” than the rose. Roses are grown primarily for the beauty and fragrance of their flowers, which can be found in an astonishing array of shapes and sizes and in almost every color of the spectrum. Roses have been tended and enjoyed by generations of modern-day gardeners, and their lineage under cultivation stretches back many hundreds of years.
Species of the genus Rosa have been identified almost everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, as far north as Alaska and Norway and as far south as North Africa and Mexico. Fossilized plants over thirty million years old have been linked to modern rose species. As a life form that has graced this earth for such a long period of time, one would expect that learning about its development would be a very complex thing, however, not so if you understand its basic evolution.
Classifying a Beauty
With so many roses to choose from, gardeners need some sort of classification system. Roses are divided into three broad types:
· Species roses – these are all roses found growing in the wild.
· Old garden roses – often simply called “old roses”, these are the varieties and cultivars that can be clearly identified with a specific group of roses grown before 1867, a date set by the American Rose Society.
· Modern roses – are all rose groups introduced after 1867.
There are probably over one hundred and fifty species roses in the world, although the exact number is disputable. Roses cross-pollinate so freely that it is difficult to determine whether a wild rose is a natural hybrid or a new species. It is true that unadulterated species plants are hard to find because most have been improved on by rose breeders. During the first half of this century, old garden roses were out of favor with the rose-buying public; in the spotlight were hybrid tea roses (today,
the most common of all commercial roses) and other groups developed within the last hundred years or so. Recently there has been renewed interest in these old-fashioned roses, and a greater number of cultivars are becoming commercially available. This renaissance may stem from nostalgia for the past or it may have come about because more gardeners want the powerful fragrance, disease resistance and hardiness that many old roses possess. Whatever the case, rose fanciers welcome the increased availability
of these remarkable flowers.
Nearly all the roses found in local nurseries and garden centers are modern roses, as are those offered by most mail-order companies. Plant breeders’ sophisticated techniques have produced a great number of hybridized modern roses in a stunning array of colors, flower forms, numbers of blooms and growth habits. There is a modern rose to delight every gardener. The main groups of modern roses are hybrid teas, polyanthas, floribundas, grandifloras, miniatures and shrubs.
Culinary Treats
Roses as Sweet as Candy
For centuries, roses have been that special ingredient in creating the finest culinary presentations. A rose candy dating to the ancient Romans is the earliest recorded recipe using roses as an ingredient. It is a certainty, however, other ancient civilizations capitalized on the sweet, fragrant qualities of their own native rose species.
By the tenth century, Persia was exporting rosewater to most of Europe, North Africa and Asia. Rosewater was commonly used as a flavoring agent in cakes, cookies and pastries. In the medieval fourteenth century, roses were used extensively in fish and game sauces as well as in desserts, candies and preserves. Many a royal chef prepared such delights as Roseye of Fysshe (Fish in Rose Sauce) and Rede Rose (Red Rose Pudding). And by the nineteenth century, roses were widely used throughout the world
as coloring and flavoring agents in teas, candies, pastries, sauces, oils and conserves.
Handed down from decade to decade, favorite recipes traversed the oceans as colonists and conquerors spanned the globe. Today, the rose’s tangy fruits, called "rose hips,” are still used in jams, jellies, and as a source of vitamin C. Its leaves are blended with other herbs in fragrant and soothing teas. And its petals add magic to candies, syrups, honeys, vinegars, oils and sauces.
Rules of the Rose in the Kitchen
Now that we’ve opened your mind and hopefully gotten your gourmet juices flowing, there are a few do’s and don’ts when stirring the floral pot and dishing up roses in the kitchen.
· Never use roses treated with insecticides or fungicides unless those products are approved for food crops. As with other edible crops, it is best to select pest and disease resistant varieties where pesticides will not be required. Give your roses plenty of sun, water, and air. Plant them out of "drift range" from other landscape pesticides. And treat them like you would any other edible garden crop … if pesticides are required; use only those products approved for application
on food crops.
· Thoroughly rinse your roses (particularly the petals) before using. Nothing will disquiet your guests more than finding a "candied spider" in their rose hip jam!
· Harvest your roses early in the morning - when the roses are most fresh. Your selections should be fully mature ("blown") and about to fade.
· Avoid using yellow, orange, or mauve-colored roses, as they tend to turn brown when cooked. White roses should be avoided also as some have diuretic qualities. Red and pink roses are the best for cooking.
Favorite Cooking Roses
Some roses, because of their fragrance and rich color, are better than others for cooking and making condiments. Some excellent choices are:
Reds
Nur Mahal (Hyb. Musk, 1923)
Cramoisi Supérieur (China, 1832)
Louis Philippe (China, 1834)
Dortmund (Kordes, 1955)
Chrysler Imperial (Hyb. Tea, 1952)
Pinks
Paul Neyron (Hyb. Perp, 1869)
Vanity (Hyb. Musk, 1920)
Mrs. B. R. Cant (Tea, 1901)
Duchesse de Brabant (Tea, 1857)
Pink Meidiland (Shrub, 1984)
Rosy Recipes
Rose Syrup
(Adapted from 16th Century recipe)
Boil 1 cup sugar, ½ cup water, and ½ cup light corn syrup with 1 tsp. lemon juice and 2 cups red rose petals. Mixture is cooked until slightly thickened. Remove from heat. When cooled slightly, strain and store in the fridge for up to three weeks.
Rose Custard with Fresh Blueberries
(Adapted from 15th Century recipe)
Prepare fresh egg custard using a standard recipe. Or use a mix. Chill and serve topped with fresh blueberries and Rose Syrup.
Stuffed Baked Apple with Rose Syrup and Toasted Almonds
Core 2 fresh apples. Add juice from ½ fresh lemon to each cavity. Sauté ¼ cup almonds in 1 tbs. butter until golden brown. Add ¼ cup Rose Syrup to the sautéed almonds. Heat through and spoon mixture into the apples’ cavities.
Place in roasting pan and bake in 350°F oven until apples are tender - about 45 minutes. (This can also be done in the microwave, about 6 - 7 minutes per apple on high power. Monitor filling. If almond mixture boils out, stop microwave, let rest a few seconds, and then resume.)
Serve apples warm with almond cookie on the side.
Rose-Tarragon Vinegar
(Adapted from 16th Century recipe)
Prepare by placing 1 cup pink rose petals and 2 sprigs of fresh tarragon into 1 liter of distilled white salad vinegar. The container should be sealed for 3 weeks; after which, the petals are strained from the vinegar and the tarragon reserved. Funnel the vinegar into a decorative bottle. Add a tarragon sprig as garnish. Stores for about six months in a cool pantry.
Rose-Tarragon Vinaigrette
In a large bowl place ¼ cup Rose-Tarragon Vinegar, cracked white pepper and a pinch of salt (to taste), the juice of ½ lemon, 1 tsp. sugar, and a "dab" of anchovy paste. Drizzle in 2 tbs. light olive oil while whisking the vinaigrette rapidly. When homogenized, it is ready to serve.
Chilled Marinated Green Beans with Rose-Tarragon Vinaigrette
Clean and string ½ lb. fresh green beans as necessary. Blanch in just enough water to cover the beans until tender but still crisp, about 7- 8 minutes. Immerse beans in cold water to stop the cooking process. When cool, strain away water.
In a crockery bowl, mix double recipe of Rose-Tarragon Vinaigrette. Add ¼ in. thick fresh red onion rings and cooled beans. Cover bowl and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Stir the contents occasionally. Serve atop shredded lettuce. Spoon Rose-Tarragon Vinaigrette over the top of the beans. Garnish with pink rose petals.
Fresh Rose Blossom Salad with Rose-Tarragon Vinaigrette
Tear crisp garden salad greens into bite-sized pieces. Toss with Rose-Tarragon Viniagrette dressing. Garnish with chilled pink rose petals. It's best not to add the rose petals until just before serving.
Cut Flower Care and Handling
To achieve lasting enjoyment of your flowers, follow the helpful hints below when caring for your cut beauties.
· Before placing your flowers in water, re-cut the stems with a sharp knife. After a flower is cut, certain enzymes close off the wound that has been made. Therefore, re-cutting the stem before placing the flowers in water is necessary for to flowers to absorb the water. NOTE: Using a dull knife or scissors may crush the stems and decrease vase life.
· Remove foliage below water level. Natural secretions produced by the flower may obstruct the vessels in the stem. Working hygienically and removing foliage (leaves) up to the water line in a vase will decrease the growth of bacteria in the water.
· Keep flowers out of heat and direct sunlight. Bacteria, fungi and yeast grow on stem ends and in the water, and multiply very rapidly. These processes are accelerated by high temperatures and may result in premature wilting of flowers and leaves.
· Keep flowers away from fruit and cigarette smoke. Fruit and cigarette smoke produce high amounts of ethylene gas, which speeds up the natural aging process in flowers.
