The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-08-07
FOOD FROM FLOWERS.
More Than Mere Beauty in Some
Of the Varieties
Nasturtiums and Prlmroses Used to Make
Salads = Butter and Fritters
I Also Made from Ger
tain Plants.

dIC CIONQCO Win Va OoVlSA
trees, from the seeds Of which eXudes an
oil. which hardens, like lard. The flow
ers abound with limpid honey, which
can be made into sugar. The flower
petals are preserved in this sugar, and
make a nutritious article of food for
thousands of people. They also are
dried and crystallized, like violets and
rose leaves.
The butter trees on the hills north
west of Calcutta, overlooking the Plain
of Monghye, number over 100000. Dur
ing the famine of 1873, the succulent
corollas of the flowers, which fall in
March and April, saved thousands from
starvation. A fine spirit, like brandy.
is distilled from them. At night the
peacocks and jungle fowl feed on them,
with the deer and bear; the squirrels,
monkeys and birds share the feast in
the daytime with the women, who
gather them, just as they do the mango
crop, for preserving.
If our ambitious housewives in the
semi-tropic regions of the south of Cali.
fornia and Florida would crystalline
their orange blossoms for the northern
There is always steady demand for the
French candied flowers. Where the
violets of Grasse, France, are grown, all
the old stale violets are sold to manufac.
turers of confectionery. In Roumania
violets, roses and lime flowers are util-
ized largely for favoring preserves OF
different kinds. The most esteeme d
sherbet in Egypt is prepared by pound
ing violets and boiling them in sugar.
This violet sherbet is of a green color
and is called the "Grand Signor's Sher.
bet"
Capers are the flower buds of BRAN.
BILE. like plant which grows on walls and
fences in southern Europe. They are
prepared simply by picking the buds
in vinegar. Most of the capers that sup
ply the market come from Sicily,
though they are also cultivated largely
in the south of France. 1t is estimated
that 100000 pounds of them are col.
lected annually in Europe.
The edible of ordinary green nastur-
tiums, prepared as a salad. is more fa
miliar here. They have Il delicious
spicy taste. Primroses likewise are
utilized in Europe, and margods fur
nish an ingredient OF soup and broths.
The flowers of the Judas tree are male
into fritt"rs. with butter added, OF
mixed with salad or sometimes the
flower kuls are ric!<led in vinegar
Articho,.er IRE il nature flower heads
and cauiih1wers aie sort of flower.
CowSli; dre sometimes feImentcc
with sugar FOR wire. eating &c
the l"tt.N an "rol.";.c flavor Ike that OF
Mts;&;e! A.c::'.;..y;rttt is likewise
utilized - virr r.;iC!,arts to improve
the iiavor CT their Goods. AEut;lon is
All article OF diet taat is rare in this
country; in Eru..l it IS ii common vege.
table
The sa!'ron OF commerce is the dried
st .i-:as OF a species of crocus. From
a remote period il has been highly
priced for colorirg ard fiavoring fluids
il is largely employed in India in this
way.
In India the young flowers of the ba.
mana plant are eaten. The Chinese pre-.
pare them by picking them in vinegar.
In India the flowers of a kind of sorrel,
which have pleasant, acid taste, are
iiliO TAI u ,JCllICS. HC OiOS-
SONS of the shaddock are used for flaw.
oring sweetmeats in the same country.
: The beautiful, bright red flowers CT
the Quassia amara are valued in Jamaica
for the help they give to digestion when
infused in wine and water. power
full alcoholic beverage, somewhat re-
sembling Irish whisky in flavor, is dis
titled from them.
The species of lily known to botanists
as Thunherg is one of the choicest deli
cacies OF the Chinese kitchen. In China
dried rosebu1s are used as condiment
Rosebuds boiled in sugar and made into
preserve are eaten by Arabian women.
Rose petals are candied like violets, aud
so likewise are iasmines. The common
yellow pond lilies make delightful pre-.
serves, and from them the Turks pre-.
pare a cooling drink. These flowers
have perfume like that of brandy, and
hence are sometimes called brandy
bottles"
tard apple, called Anona Senegalensis,
are used on the Niger for flavoring
dishes.
The petals of roses thrown upon cold,
light wine, float away from the lips IN
drinking. Every lover of cool and frag
rant beverages knows the luxury Of
plunging the heated face into bunch of
fragrant green mint.
Not only must the form and flavor of
foods be considered, but also the ma
ture of the elements they bring into The
system, the proper proportion of chem
ical substances and their laxative or
constipating nature. For we do not re-
quire food of either too concentrated or
too bulky nature. 1t requires also
due admixture of foods. Thus, pure
albumen is not desirable. We may be
made to starve on cheese. Experiments
as to the relative solubility of animal
and vegetable albumen, may be in the
highest degree deceptive.
The amount of albumen which we
daily require is relatively small, and
needs large quantity of respiratory
food to be taken with it. The latter is
of various kinds, which differ very much
in the rapidly of their action. For in
stance, starch is slow and alcohol is
quick in producing it's effect as sup
porter of combustion. If more albumen
be taken than is required, the excess is
necessarily not digested. Nature takes