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Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

It seems that this Holiday Season has raced by in a super-charged sleigh. We hope that you have enjoyed your decorating and gardening and all of the satisfaction that comes with them. For this edition I thought it would be fun to try something totally different. Have you ever eaten flowers? How would you like to grow edible flowers? Now would be the time to prepare your Spring garden plans to include this interesting twist on culinary gardening.

I've also collected Holiday Cookie recipes over the years and have lots that I thought would be fun to share. Food Network's "Twelve Days of Cookies" from the last four years are linked below, all conveniently compiled into separate documents. Click on the desired link below and download.

Please enjoy this information and continue writing with your gardening questions and concerns. I'm not sure whether I'd be qualified to answer cooking questions, though. Check out the sidebar at the left for guidelines on how to make sure that The PlantMaster receives your questions.

Edible flowers have become familiar garnishes in countless restaurants - the 21st century's equivalent of parsley. But, like parsley, most people don't eat them. They just move them to the side.

But times have changed, and now you can even find edible flowers among the fresh herbs at your local grocery stores. But have you noticed the prices of these delectable beauties? And if you purchase them and don't get around to eating them right away, many of them lose their texture and flavor within a day or so.

By growing your own edible flowers you are assured of their freshness and that they are grown organically. You now might be interested to know just which flowers are edible. Some might surprise you.

One of the most recognizable of edible blooms is the Nasturtium. They are just strange enough to add some excitement and have a surprisingly peppery tang to them. Not only are they edible in salads, but they make a great salad dressing when added to a good white wine vinegar. Let the flowers steep in the dark for several weeks, then strain the flowers out as you pour into a clean glass bottle. More adventuresome souls make Nasturtium martinis with vodka steeped in the flowers. Nasturtiums grow easily from seed and come in a variety of colors.

Pansies and Violas are flowers that you can eat in their entirety, even the green sepals. With a somewhat wintergreen flavor, some even have a delicate fragrance, especially the blue-flowered ones. You can use them as elegant hors d'oeuvres, toss them with salads and even decorate cakes with them. If you plan ahead, you can even sow the seeds of your favorite colors and coordinate a special event.

Calendulas are another popular edible flower that has been called "Poor Man's Saffron." The yellow or orange petals can be chopped and cooked with oil to bring out the color and flavor. Add chopped petals to onions and a bit of olive oil, sauté together and then add to rice and boiling water to create a beautiful dish that looks like Spanish paella. Separated but left whole, add petals to cream cheese icing of Carrot Cakes for added color and pizzazz.

If you're inclined, here are some recipes that I've collected the past few years. I have noticed that there are some repetitions from year to year, so pardon those. Otherwise, some of these are easy and I'm sure that all of them are tasty.

Cookies from 2003
Cookies from 2004
Cookies from 2005
Cookies from 2006

Enjoy your garden and your kitchen and have a Wonderful Holiday Season.