Please eat the pansies
Irene Sax reports.
| More 'Front Burner' articles in this issue |
| Fill it up |
| Fair trade fish |
| Digesting timely topics |
| Sweet chariot |
Jamul, California—You could call it gilding the lily. Or glazing the pansy. Or silverdusting the snapdragon. Sweetfields, a company that makes candied edible flowers, does all these things.
Of course, crystallized flowers have been used for years to garnish cakes and desserts. You make them with egg whites, superfine sugar, a paint brush, and a whole lot of time. One Web site describes the method as "frankly tedious" and mentions that the job seems to go more quickly if you do it with a friend.
But that was before John Clemons got into the business. Clemons, who grew edible flowers on a 33 acre organic farm in Jamul, California, was flipping through a recipe book when he saw instructions for crystallizing flowers. He decided to try it. Once he did, he decided that there had to be a better way.
Clemons' better way uses a new ingredient and new ways of drying and spraying the flowers. (Because the patent is still pending, Sweetfields' CEO Shanna Johnson is reluctant to say more.) Now the company produces thousands of gorgeously decorative and long-lasting violas, pansies, snapdragons, and roses in an hour and sells them to restaurants, caterers, and bakeries.
Completely edible and organic, they come with three finishes: SweetCrystal, which has the look of traditional candied blossoms; SweetGlaze, which has a hard glassy coating; and SweetDust, which is first glazed and then dusted with 24 carat gold, sterling silver, antique gold, or a custom color. All three finishes make the flowers durable enough to be stored for months at room temperature, and the second two also make them waterproof enough to float in a Martini or a cup a tea.
Do his customers realize the flowers are edible?
"They have no idea," he says. "When I tell them, they're surprised to find that they're sweet and crunchy." In fact, the blossoms have a slight raspberry taste, and the company has done custom flavors such as lemon, cherry, and strawberry.
For info: www.sweetfields.com.
