You’re Reading The Second Of A Weekly Series Featuring My Favourite Plants and Herbs, Along With The Simple Ways That I Use Them!
>>>Featured This Week: Pansies
Pansies are brimming with feel-good polysaccharides and disease-fighting carotenoids. The salicylic acid and flavonoids present in pansies make these flowers a suitable antioxidant for use in skin and hair care products.
One of the reasons I love pansies is that they are some of the first flowers to bloom in the spring and I am always excited to be able to get back into the swing of summertime; gardening, and harvesting. Picking my pansies is my inaugural springtime activity. I like to make candied pansies to use as a garnish on deserts and just to eat on their own for fun. The kids think making and eating flower candy is pretty cool, too.
To Candy Pansies, you’ll need:
- pansies
- egg whites
- sugar
- a small paint brush
- a surface to dry the candied pansies on- paper towel works
Directions:
- Inspect your harvested pansies and discard any that are not in good condition. wilted or damaged petals will make an undesirable candied pansy. If you are concerned that your pansies aren’t clean you can wash them and allow them to dry before beginning the candying process but- be as gentle as possible to prevent causing damage to the delicate flowers.
- Using your paintbrush, gently paint egg white on every part of the surface of the flower. Ensure you have completely coated the pansy.
- While the egg white is still wet, sprinkle sugar over the pansy and place it on your paper towel to dry.
- Repeat this process for every flower, ensuring full coverage with the egg white and an even distribution of sugar on each one.
- Allow the candied pansies to dry completely before attempting to move them. Once, dry, your candied pansies are finished! You can use this technique to candy any edible herbs or flowers.
- To ensure that your candied pansies are properly preserved, you must completely cover the front and back of each flower with the egg white. Exposed areas of the flower will wilt and rot if not properly coated in egg white.
- Use candied flowers as a garnish on deserts or to add a special touch to Sunday breakfast for your family.
A fun and easy way to use pansies is to freeze them in ice cubes to add to summertime drinks. Super-easy to do and makes a boring drink look extra fancy
The anti-inflammatory salicylates in pansies make them an effective treatment for rheumatism and arthritis. Make a pretty violet-tinted iced tea to sit back and relax with after a long afternoon digging in the garden!
Iced Pansy Tea Ingredients:
- dried pansies
- additional herbs of your choice (lemon balm or peppermint for calming, or simply green tea leaves)
- honey or sugar to sweeten
Directions:
- As with any basic homemade iced tea recipe, steep your pansies and additional herbs in hot water for 5-10 minutes
- Add your sweetener while the tea is still hot; it dissolves much easier that way
- Chill and serve! Easy-peasy
- add a few of your pansy ice cubes to your iced tea!
Salicylic acid works as an exfoliant and is also lipophillic, which means it can penetrate oily skin and clogged pores, resulting in a deep cleaning. It can reduce sebum secretion, and thus reduce acne. It’s also an anti-inflammatory, which can help calm irritated skin. Utilize the salicylate acid in pansies by making a simple sugar scrub for your face and body!
Pansy Sugar Scrub – 3 Simple ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- dried crushed pansy flower petals
Directions:
- Mix all 3 ingredients together and store in an airtight container.
- Use about 1 tablespoon to exfoliate in the shower. Simple as that!
Pansies can be found almost anywhere and can be easily propagated in your yard. Some people consider them invasive but I welcome them in my garden and hope you are inspired to too!
Get outside and collect some pansies! Check out last weeks feature: Roses, and come back next Wednesday for Part 3 of the Plants And Their Uses Series!
Happy Homesteading Xx
I’m happy to bring to you lessons and information I’ve picked up along my journey towards developing a more intentional lifestyle! To find out more about who I am and what the heck I am doing with my life, read about my family and I here. Thank you for visiting! We are so glad you came.
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