The perfect cake decorations for that special person or event, with help from Mother Nature! 🌸🌼🌺💛

Edible Flowers HandPicked Challenge

What better way to thank all our pollinating friends for their hard work than by throwing them a picnic!

Everyone says "eat your veggies" but why not eat our flowers!? Flowers add a pop of color and out-of-the-ordinary flavors! This illustration explores some edible flowers for the latest Handpicked Design Challenge.

I have this memory of summer picnics with my friends. One of them always brought homemade pizza by his mum. These pizzas were not only delicious but also really beautiful. They were decorated with edible flowers! That made them really special. Now, I love to use fresh wildflowers in my dishes, collecting them is wonderful and they cheer any recipe! There any many uses for edible flowers, this illustration represents some of them, along with my favorite ones!

Garlic, Radish, Squash, Daylily, Pansy, Nasturtium, Borage. Add them to salads, ice cream, desserts. Always make sure you know which parts of the plant to eat, and check that no pesticides have been used!

Sugar and love.

Why not watercolor my favorite condiment?

Here in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada we are teetering on the edge of early spring. We’re almost, alllllmmmost making the much easier descent down the other side of the perilous mountain that challenges us every prairie winter. For me, a crocus poking its brave head out of the snow is THE sign that winter is officially a memory. So in this vein (though a different varietal), I’m going to talk saffron.

For me, this spice has a purple-blue mist swirling around it. Romantic. I’ve always been low key obsessed with the notion of flavour derived from flowers. The top producers are Iran, Spain, India and Greece. But it wasn’t until I learned more about the saffron harvest in Afghanistan recently (thank you TSP!) that I gained a whole new appreciation and respect for the meticulous, diligent and brave work required to harvest the thousands upon thousands of amber-hued stamens from these croci. The most delicate work achieved in a punishing atmosphere.  Incredible.

Resourceful Reggie wants to share his recipe to a eco-friendly lifestyle!

The accompanying title page for my steamed mussels recipe.

Well. I’ve been told that I should steer clear of these delicious veg from the Solanaceae famjam. I guess these beloveds have in fact been betraying my bod while enticing my palate as they can trigger inflammation in people prone to it. Ugh. Here’s an homage to these mysterious veggies who have had my heart for a great many years. I’m sure I’ll still enjoy them from time to time, but like anything, moderation needs to be top of mind. Goodnight, my sweet night garden. Goodnight 🌙 💫

These pies sold for a total of $850 at our charity auction!

I've always thought bean seeds were incredibly beautiful - both the shape and the amazing colours. But I didn't realise how many different variations there were until I started gathering reference. Some of them are miniature works of art. And they taste great too!