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Meadow Sweet Grove
Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2016-2018
Merry Meet! The fairies invite you to enter the Grove and delight in a magical dose of seasonal articles & images, tidbits of folklore and comfy home-cooking recipes. Scroll down to see this week's articles now! Then stay and peruse an enchanting selection of new, vintage & always eclectic treasures available to you in the fairies' own store!
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The Fairy Shop
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~ Last time at Meadow Sweet Grove ~ Ploughman's Lunch - not just for lunch! It's been hot all day and now the house is stifling! But you need to serve dinner. It's too hot to light the stove! But you need to serve dinner. It's too hot to eat food that is even warm, let alone hot! But you need to serve dinner. Ploughman's Lunch to the rescue! Not just for lunch .... Read more here: ploughmans-lunch-not-just-for-lunch.html 
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 Rose Petal Jam
~ Rose Petal Jam ~ Summer is almost over. Did I just say that? No worries - capture the essence and feeling of summer by making rose petal jam!
This jam is really easy to make. I am continually astounded by how much our small city garden gives in the Grove. Our roses have been really abundant this year and I discovered that there are many recipes with which you can use or include rose petals such as: rose petal jam or jelly, garnishments for salads, rose vinegar dressing and more! Collect rose petals and make some jam now with this simple recipe! |
You will need:
- equal parts rose petals and berry sugar - juice of one lemon - water - canning jars ... and a little pectin (if required) |
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Step 1: Collect the rose petals
Pick petals from your loveliest roses and choose only those free from blemish. For this recipe, I used approximately 250g / 8 ounces of petals.
Pick petals from your loveliest roses and choose only those free from blemish. For this recipe, I used approximately 250g / 8 ounces of petals.
Step 2: Wash rose petals, dust with sugar and chill
Rinse the rose petals with cool water, discarding any with blemish. Drain well and crush lightly in your hands with a bit of berry sugar, making sure to bruise each petal slightly. Place in bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Rinse the rose petals with cool water, discarding any with blemish. Drain well and crush lightly in your hands with a bit of berry sugar, making sure to bruise each petal slightly. Place in bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Step 3: Making the jam
Pour 1/2 litre of water into a saucepan, together with 250 g berry sugar and the juice of one lemon. Bring to a boil, stirring all the time. Add the crushed rose petals, reduce heat, and continue at medium heat, stirring constantly until jam consistency and setting point is reached. Add 1/2 package of powdered pectin if necessary.
Pour 1/2 litre of water into a saucepan, together with 250 g berry sugar and the juice of one lemon. Bring to a boil, stirring all the time. Add the crushed rose petals, reduce heat, and continue at medium heat, stirring constantly until jam consistency and setting point is reached. Add 1/2 package of powdered pectin if necessary.
Step 4: Preparing the jam for storage
Properly sterilize your canning equipment. I usually achieve this by boiling jars, rims, seals and any utensils I will be using. Spoon the jame into jars and seal tightly. Store as appropriate for the canning method you use. Enjoy with toast, croissants or scones on a rainy day when you are dreaming of summer ...
Properly sterilize your canning equipment. I usually achieve this by boiling jars, rims, seals and any utensils I will be using. Spoon the jame into jars and seal tightly. Store as appropriate for the canning method you use. Enjoy with toast, croissants or scones on a rainy day when you are dreaming of summer ...
Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2018
Did you know that articles from past weeks are archived in my Blog? Check it out here! ploughmans-lunch-not-just-for-lunch.html
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The Fairy Shop
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Let this blue fairy magically transport you to the Store!
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 Click here for more Bower of Flowers
~ Fairies' Favourite Finds ~ ~ Everything's coming up Roses ~ |
~ Folklore Fun ~
The Rose - Queen of Flowers
The Rose - Queen of Flowers
How long has this beautiful bloom been Queen?
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Greece
In Ancient Greece, (c. 600 BC) Sappho of Lesbos wrote: "If Jove would give the leafy bowers A queen for all their world of flowers, The rose would be the choice of Jove, And blush the queen of every grove."
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Rome
The Ancient Romans loved roses - I mean, one emperor literally showered his guests with rose petals tumbling from the ceiling when they arrived ... and rose petals were scattered everywhere else for, well, you know, ambience ... they filled their swimming baths with rose petals, fountains with rose-water and sat of carpets of rose petals. So excessive was their desire for rose petals that the peasants had to grow roses, instead of food, in order to satisfy the demand! A heavenly image arises for me at the thought of surrounding Roman countryside, and indeed every nook and cranny in Rome, filled with blooming roses - the scent, the sight of roses, roses, roses everywhere and all destined to arrive at the palaces and temples! It must have been an amazing sight - of course, the plebs might not have been able to see it that way ... if they went hungry as a result! Hopefully, they managed to sneak in a few rose petal salads for themselves .... |
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I am the queen whom everybody knows;
I am the English Rose; As light and free as any Jenny Wren, As dear to Englishmen; As joyous as a Robin Redbreast's tune, I scent the air of June; My buds are rosy as a baby's cheek; I have one work to speak, One word which is my secret and my song, 'Tis "England, England, England" all day long. Cicely Mary Barker, Flower Fairies of the Summer |
England
In front of cottages or row-homes, adorning doorways and walkways, lining stone walls down country lanes, climbing arbors and arches ... and of course, in many an ornamental rose garden at carefully preserved "stately homes"; the rose is England's national flower. Queen Elizabeth I was known as the "rose without a thorn" by poets of the era. She took the Tudor Rose as her emblem and "Rosa sine spina" as her motto. Today, a wholesome English young woman is lovingly referred to as an "English Rose". Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2018 |
Did you know that Folklore Fun articles from past weeks are archived in my Blog? Check it out here! come-on-it-will-be-a-lark.html
