Of Brits, Burdock...and Bubba Gump

The Brits enjoy a rather odd-sounding drink that combines burdock root and dandelion. My mother, Avril, comes from the North Yorkshire region of Britain. She met my dad, Charles, a U.S. serviceman, while he was stationed there at Menwith Hill in the early 1960s. The two married and moved to Germany, where my mother gave birth to my older sister, Gwen. Soon after, dad moved his little family back to the states, and settled in his hometown of Prince Frederick, Maryland. PF is a bedroom community of DC, on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. I made my arrival not long after that.

As for that burdock and dandelion combination: I'd love to try my hand at making my own version of the drink my mom remembers. Apparently it can be prepared as a bubbly tonic, or tea. Yes, tea. I'm loving that! Burdock has long been in use as an herbal treatment for everything from stomach upset to cancer. Dandelion, likewise, has shown to have curative benefits and is commonly used as a diuretic aid, and also to treat problems of the liver, among other things.

To say that I'm intrigued is an understatement; but I've learned enough from my preliminary research to know that a trip down the street to the local herbalist would be a good idea. Both dandelion and burdock roots can have undesired effects when ingested, or even used externally on the skin. Burdock, particularly, can be risky because it may accidentally be picked with Belladonna and deadly nightshade, which are toxic, according to WebMD. Yeah. The "deadly" part of deadly nightshade would be enough to keep me away, barring further research. A primer on identifying poisonous flora that grow alongside the beneficial herbs is warranted.

The use of herbs in medicine is a great idea. But I also like the way uncommon herbs enhance food flavor while giving a gentle boost of vitamins and minerals that may be missing in our western diet. And, since I'm not quite ready to trot-out my version of Susan's Amazing Burdock & Dandelion Elixer for What Ails Ya!, I am thinking a lot about herbals, flora, and in particular, roses, lately. And of course. For what girl doesn't like roses? (Ok, I'm sure they're out there...on an island somewhere).

Food grade rose petals can be
used in food, cosmetics, or in
their natural state, as an aromatic.

So here's the story: I spent my formative college years in a town that was very close to Canterbury Shaker Village. Lucky for me, the woman who manned the school's bookstore had some say in what was purchased, and as a woman in love with anything Shaker, she sold a little cookbook titled Seasoned with Grace: My Generation of Shaker Cooking, a book of Shaker recipes by Eldress Bertha Lindsay. I flipped thru it one day and was sold when I came to a recipe for sugared rose petals. That recipe was my first foray into the world of edible florals gastronomy. I plunked my $12 on the table (which, back then, was a lot for a broke college student in the late 80s!). Unfortunately, I gave away or misplaced that book in the intervening years. This is where the internet earns its chops. It is, after nearly a quarter century, still available for purchase!.

I've yet to make those sugared rose petals. I just never got off my bum and thought to buy edible rose petals (othewise known as "food grade" rose petals), at least, not until this March, when I found the very thing online for a relative song. So what's a girl to do with two huge bags of orgasmically good smelling rose petals? Answer: Lots of good stuff! First, I'm going to make rose petal jelly.

I don't have Eldress Lindsay's recipes, but a quick look online yielded a treasure trove of ideas for the surely tasty, and obviously very pretty rose petal jelly, like this one.

These multi-colored petals
will make a gorgeous jelly!

Before the summer's out I'll make another batch of butter pickles, and when the leaves start to turn the canning pot will be filled with apple chutney, applesauce, apple jelly, apple butter...oh Lordy, I'm turnin' in to the apple version of Bubba Gump!


Keep an eye out for all these recipes, and more!