As regular readers of the Higgledy Garden Site will know, we have taken it upon ourselves to dedicate one of our gardens entirely to edible flowers. We have done this purely to make ourselves look like hunter gatherer types in the eyes of ladies who like to cook. The plan may or may not work but when one passes forty one has to fish in many ponds…
This is our first venture into the edible flower kingdom and already we’re loving it. We would like to share a little of that ‘loving it’ with you. So let us start with the edible flower, Borage…(you know where you are with Borage…good old borage)
Borage (Borago officianalis) or commonly known as Star Flower orinated from Syria but is now naturalised in many parts of Europe. This link with Syria is crucial…as Borage was said to have been brought back by the surviving knights of the crusades. The ladies of the day would also embroider Borage flowers on to the tunics of the knights. The very name Borage is indeed a derivative of ‘courage’…bet you didn’t know that…
It continues to be the most depicted herb in contemporary tapestries. An example of which can be seen below…yes I know…it’s rubbish isn’t it…
There are stories of the lasses who inhabited the ancient worlds giving their lovers tea steeped in Borage in the hope it would give the shy chaps of the era enough courage to propose. Also those great folk the Celts would steep wine with the herb before battle.
It is not just the flowers which are edible but indeed the leaves too and are very high in calcium, magnesium and vits A and C.
Borage will impart a cucumbery flavour to salads and especially long, summery drinks like Pimms. It is fabulous too with chicken and fish dishes.
The Higgledy army have created their own cocktail containing Borage. It is called the King Cava (Based on the Kir Royal)
Mix a bottle of Cava with a large slurp of Kir…pour into wide brimmed champagne glasses over generous sprigs of Borage flowers…leave some flowers dangling over the edge of the glass for an effect of decadence…slurp until wobbly. (Remember, NEVER NEVER propose…)
We will keep you posted on Higgledy edible flowers as they grow.
Kindest regards
Benji B
For other Edible Flower posts just feel the force
(Edible Flower, Borage. Update)
These is a pic of one of our borage seedlings from the edible flower garden. These are approx 3 weeks old. …bless ’em. (today is the 11th of May 2011)
Further Edible Flower: Borage Update….
It’s now June 15th and despite a nasty drought in East Anglia our edible flower plot is coming on nicely, if not slowly. This is the same borage plant as above…but…er…well now…
and again….a close up this time…(I’m so thorough it’s practically award winning)
AND a sneak preview of one end of the edible flowers dedicated plot (in a double secret location) you can see Calendula on the far left which are also edible flowers and blue and black cornflowers and the two rows of borage…one white one blue.
…and below is the same borage taken today…13th February….in the snow.
Many thanks.
Benjamin.
Yet another fascinating Edible Flower: Borage update. Summer solstice 2011
Hello again Borage fans, today is a great day. At long last the fantastic, amazing and super groovy Borage arrived. What a scorcher, a searing blue. Quite frankly the most delightful edible flower ever grown in the county of Cambridgshire.
The plant as a whole is reminiscent of a 1960’s B movie prop, Borage is certainly a little alienesque. (Made up word)
So all in all a good floral solstice. I shall take some samples to a couple of the county’s finest chefs and see what they make of them.
Also…the Calendula is blooming and the Malope Triffida Vulcan is also hot to trot.
Great to see the Higgledy edible flower plot coming on leaps and bounds after the drought.
Ben
Further update…
It’s now the begining of January 2012 and last years borage has reseeded…well…everywhere…I have left some seedlings in the same borage bed so they will flower super early in the year. Here is a photo…
Regards
Ben
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The Large Lupin Cheese Grater. | Higgledy Garden
April 6, 2012 @ 2:10 pm
[…] and those that don’t germinate will be filled with wafes and strays…certainly lots of Borage…borage attracts HUGE amounts of pollinators…I am hoping that these will help keep the […]
February 20, 2012 @ 7:16 pm
last year my borage patch was full of solitary and honey bees, bumble bees, hover flies, ladybirds shield bugs …… gorgeous herb I put some flowers into ice cubes look wonderful in iced drinks.
Take that and smoke it… « Love Plant Life Blog
November 17, 2011 @ 12:09 am
[…] is a rumour you can smoke borage. Never tried, a bit too hairy for me. Although I really should try drinking more of it.) GA_googleAddAttr("AdOpt", "1"); GA_googleAddAttr("Origin", "other"); […]
July 29, 2011 @ 10:39 am
Just discovered borage in my garden after planting a seed packet of wild blue flowers! A passing remark by someone made me look again, sure enough it WAS borage! I’ve tasted a leaf.. bit yukkie.. but look forward to trying various recipes. I have been on steriods and also read this is helpful when you need to lose the weight! We will see!
July 29, 2011 @ 9:35 pm
Hi Pam, One of my Italian customers uses it loads for food…he only uses the young leaves…his family love ’em! Most leaves taste ‘yukkie’ before being cooked and having dollops of butter on!
Thank you for commenting.
Benjamin :)
Sarah Raven Flowers | Higgledy Garden
July 21, 2011 @ 7:34 pm
[…] have written extensively about borage in another post. There is something wonderful about growing it. I haven’t used it for cut […]
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June 21, 2011 @ 6:55 pm
[…] already…if you’d like to read this outstanding piece of literature then please click Edible Flowers, Borage and for other edible flower links then please click Edible Flower Links […]
Edible flowers. The dedicated plot update. | Higgledy Garden
June 15, 2011 @ 9:08 pm
[…] frankly borage bloody loves me and I it/her/him. Although my borage hasn’t quite flowered there is no doubt […]
Edible Flowers, Dandelion Syrup. | Higgledy Garden
May 5, 2011 @ 7:57 pm
[…] like Borage they are seen in the UK not as a source of food but as unwanted weeds. Give the little blighters a […]
May 4, 2011 @ 4:14 am
Jan (continued from below) I think I will transplant them…my issue is the native annual weeds are taking over the patch I had sown for Visnaga and Buplerium (I wish I knew what these seedlings look like…can’t find on web)…so I may hoe the beds up and use space for ammi seedlings….but of course this limits my varieties…can you recommend any quick and easy foliage other than Gyp or Ammi? x
May 11, 2011 @ 7:44 pm
Have you tried Orache? Purple leaves with pink under-sides – edible, too. Needs searing but is beuatiful with pink flowers. Grows about six ft tall with lovely flowers and seedheads. Self-sows like mad, though, so will need pulling out (although that can also contribute to dinner…). I use a lot cosmos as foliage – lovely and fluffy and fresh looking. Will keep thinking… x
May 12, 2011 @ 7:57 am
Cosmos…yes…I’ll actually have some of that!!! Thanks. x
Edible Flowers, Anchusa Azurea. | Higgledy Garden
May 3, 2011 @ 9:59 pm
[…] It’s a biannual or more accurately a short lived perennial and if I’m not mistaken it’s a member of the same family as our friend Borage. […]
May 2, 2011 @ 9:39 am
I am never sure about flowers in drinks – are you supposed to eat them? If so, how? I seem to end up fishing them out at the end with my finger, which tends to ruin the sophisticated image you’re going for… x
May 2, 2011 @ 5:21 pm
Well young lady…if the post is good enough for Alys Fowler from Gardener’s world to retweet then it should be good enough for you!!! :) Actually I know what you mean. I have however been approached by a new posh bar in Cambridge to discuss providing garnishes for their drinks…in fact this whole edible flowers thing is the new thing with posh eateries…just not sure what to charge yet…or how often to deliver etc…so far I have three really top end places who seem really keen…I NEED more land…worried about taking orders that I can’t commit to….and as for foliage…I’m really low….tut tut tut… xx
May 2, 2011 @ 8:15 pm
Tell me about it – those are the thoughts that go round and round my head non-stop. Anchusa flowers are good for top chef-y-type food, by the way – beautiful bright blue. x
May 3, 2011 @ 9:16 pm
I checked them out…they are fab…thx for the tip…I wonder if they’ll have them at my local garden center. BTW do you know if you replant the ammi majus seedlings when thinning out? I’ve got loads but little of any other foliage seems to be germinating… x
May 3, 2011 @ 10:21 pm
Hmm, if your garden centres are like those round here they won’t stock anchusa. SR, of course, does the seeds – or if you know anyone with any, ask for some offshoots as they spread like mad.
Pity you’re not nearer – I could really do with some ammi seedlings. Don’t see why you can’t replant them, as long as they’re not too big. Might not be worth the effort though as in this weather you’d need to keep a close eye on them, and if you have loads already… Nothing seems to be germinating well in this dry weather. We had rain yesterday – I had to stop myself from sinking to my knees and weeping (from certain angles, the neighbours can see). J
Edible Flowers | Higgledy Garden
May 1, 2011 @ 7:48 pm
[…] out ‘Edible Flowers, Borage.‘ This entry was posted in Blog. Bookmark the permalink. ← Garden Flower: Linaria […]