Ten Minute Gardening » Recipes

Rose-Scented Geranium Cake

Bert — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:14:45 +0000

To further entice you to try growing scented geraniums, here is a recipe that uses scented geranium leaves. I have baked this cake many times and am always delighted with the subtle flavour rose scented geranium leaves give to an ordinary white cake!

For an alternative, try using lemon scented geraniums and making a glaze with fresh lemon juice.

Wash leaves in plain water and gently blot the leaves dry with a towel
Grease your cake pan as usual
Place scented geranium leaves on the bottom and along the sides of the pan (the butter, cooking spray or shortening will hold the leaves in place).
Prepare a white cake mix according to the instructions on the box and pour into prepared cake pan. Even better is a white cake made from scratch!
Bake as directed.
When the cake has cooled, remove all of the leaves and discard.
Frost with a simple white frosting or a glaze. For added flavour, try adding a drop or two of culinary grade rose water to the frosting.

Scented Pine Cones

Bert — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 01:17:32 +0000

Looking for a crafty gift idea? Here an easy craft that you still have time to make.

SCENTED PINE CONES

How delicious and pretty is a basket of cones, scented with cinnamon, and bedecked with a ribbon or a piece of holly?

If you’ve collected the pine cones yourself, you’ll want to make sure they fully opened and bug free. Do this by spreading the cones out on a cookie sheet and placing in a 150F oven. When they have opened up, they’re done!

Shake out the seeds and discard.

Using a small brush, paint the pine cones with cinnamon essential oil. The more oil you use of course, the stronger the scent, but try not to go overboard.

Once the oil has dried, place the cones in a basket or mesh bag, add a ribbon or a sprig of fresh greenery and you have a great hostess gift!

Harvest Time

Bert — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 20:17:00 +0000

So many tomatos………

………. so little time!

Here’s a tip my father (a Master Chef) taught me.

Wash the tomatoes

Dry them completely.

Place them whole (skins intact) on a cookie sheet

Place them in the freezer until they are frozen solid

Transfer the tomatoes to a container or freezer bag and return them to the freezer.

You won’t be able to use them for slicing, but they’re great for sauces, stews, soups, etc.