Resilient Blooms: An Augmented-Reality Public Art Installation & Art Walk
About the Artists:
Dana Harrison is a fine artist and graphic designer who grew up near Toronto and studied at George Brown College. With over 25 years of experience in brand and visual identity design in Toronto, she has relocated to Warkworth, Ontario. This move has allowed her to merge her professional skills with her passion for fine art, inspired by the natural beauty surrounding her. Dana’s innovative work, characterized by her technical expertise and appreciation for nature, focuses on capturing the essence of rural landscapes and exploring new artistic mediums and techniques.
Nikki Fotheringham lives in the woods in central Ontario with her husband and a very bad dog. She grows flowers in the meadow, turning them into beautiful edible products that she sells in the small farm store in her backyard. When she’s not in the garden, she’s in her kitchen, brewing up new recipes made from foraged local ingredients and (of course) flowers! Nikki has written several cookbooks, including “Taste Buds, A Field Guide to Cooking and Baking with Flowers,” which is available wherever good books are sold – including Furby House Books, in downtown Port Hope!
Jessica Svenningson is a contemporary art curator and gallerist with an appreciation for bleeding-edge technology and how these new creative tools can be applied to transform our experience of the natural world. Her love for immersive technology which enhances connection over isolation creates a preference to work with AR (augmented reality) over VR (virtual reality) technology due to AR’s capacity to maintain connection with the physical world and the people within it. Currently situated in Dawson City as the ODD Gallery Director at the Klondike Institute for Art and Culture, she enjoys exploring the wild Yukon landscapes and learning about local contemporary and traditional Indigenous artistic practices. Jessica grew up in Port Hope, Ontario.
For more information, please contact:
Debbie Beattie (she/her)
Program Director
Critical Mass Art
info@criticalmassart.com
Resilient Blooms
Curated by Jessica Svenningson
Resilient Blooms is an outdoor interactive AR (augmented reality) public art exhibition, located in the historic downtown core of Port Hope, in response to the Walton Street Reconstruction Project.
Flowers represent many features of modern life, from joy and pleasure, friendship and love, to fertility and abundance. Much like wildflowers growing between the crevices of deteriorating human structures, resilient blooms flourish between the cracks of the destructive forces, like those that have disturbed Port Hope’s vibrant main street.
This exhibition acts as a beacon of colourful hope and a reminder that new opportunities are possible amidst destruction. Resilient Blooms represents perseverance and resilience in the face of destruction, regrowth, and hope for the future.
The artwork was originally created by Dana Harrison, an illustrator and artist based in Warkworth, for the recently published horticultural cookbook Taste Buds, A Field Guide to Cooking and Baking with Flowers authored by Nikki Fotheringham. Each edible flower grows locally in gardens and forests across Northumberland County.
Each artwork contains an original recipe created by Nikki Fotheringham, highlighting the possibilities each flower offers to our culinary palette. To access the recipes and learn more about each flower, scan the QR code below with your smartphone.
Funding for this project was generously provided by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, the Port Hope Heritage Business Improvement Area, and the Municipality of Port Hope, with support from the Be Walton Support Local wrap around program (funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario’s My Main Street Community Activator program).
Artists include:
Jessica Svenningson
Dana Harrison
Nikki Fotheringham
With support from local artists:
Kelly Kirkham
Kate Hunter
Alex Kirkham
Debbie Beattie
Site Locations include:
The Little Station
Fieldstone Fountain
Walton Hotel (John St parking lot wall)
Brogden’s Lane (on wall beside Schuuz)
Along construction fencing near:
Mad World
Schmidt Law
Ganaraska Art & Framing
Dreamer’s Cafe
Jim’s Pizza
Former Loyalist College (empty storefront)
Bibelot
Dwell
Corner at Walton & Cavan Street
—
Augmented Reality (AR) is a newly emerging technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the real world, thus providing a composite view.
To experience the Resilient Blooms augmented reality elements, download the Artivive app. Open the Artivive app and point your phone at each flower to watch it come to life. Turn up the sound to hear details about the symbolism or folklore of each varietal!
• Download Artivive in Google Play or Apple App Store
• Open the Artivive app on your phone
• Stand approx 6 feet from each artwork
• Ensure the entire flower is in the camera frame
• Wait 3 seconds for the animated artwork to launch
• Turn on your volume to hear details about each flower
About the Resilient Blooms
Cattails
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About Cattails
Cattails represent peace, and a gift of cattail flowers is meant as a request to bury the hatchet.
Lattice Pancakes with Chantilly Cream
Lattice pancakes are pretty and fun and neatly sidestep the stodginess of your classic stack. This delicate, delicious desserts will make your taste buds sing!
For the pancakes
1 cup flour
1 cup cattail pollen*
2 eggs
1 cup milk
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp butter (melted)
Oil
Maple syrup
For the Chantilly cream
2 cups heavy cream (chilled)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place the flour, eggs, milk, salt, sugar and butter in a bowl and mix until there are no lumps. Pour the batter into a sealable plastic bag or piping bag. Cut the corner off when you are ready to make the pancakes so you can slowly squeeze the batter out. Keep a cup handy to rest the bag in between pancakes.
Heat a pan over a medium fire and lightly oil. Squeeze the batter into the pan in a pattern. Cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until light golden brown. Turn and cook the other side for a further 30 seconds. Stack your pancakes to keep them warm.
In a bowl of your stand mixer, beat the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff.
Drizzle pancakes with maple syrup and smother in cream.
Tips
*You can substitute flour if cattail pollen is out of season.
Chamomile
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About Chamomile
Chamomile symbolizes peace and calm, renewal and rebirth. Chamomile has been used through the ages as a medicinal herb and as a bittering agent by beer-making monks. Its scent fends off bugs, and the monks noticed that when it is planted next to ailing plants, it restores and heals them. Steep a couple of chamomile tea bags in hot water overnight, pop your strong tea into a spray bottle and you have a natural pest repelant for the garden.
Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
This lemon poppy seed bundt cake makes me happy. It’s not overly sweet and the zing of the lemon combines with the nutty poppy seed flavours to produce a deliciously complex teatime treat. Did you know that poppy seeds are actually kidney shaped, or that a single gram contains a whopping 3,300 seeds? The seeds come from opium poppies, although they have no effect as the opiates are only contained in the sap of the pod before the seeds form.
2 ¾ cups flour
20 dried chamomile flowers (crushed) or 2 chamomile tea bags
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp poppy seeds
¾ cups butter (softened)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup lemon juice
Zest of a lemon
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 350⁰F (180⁰C) and spray your bundt pan.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, loose chamomile tea, baking powder, baking soda and poppy seeds.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix together the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well between each new addition.
Add the vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix well.
Now add the flour slowly to this mixture, alternating with the sour cream, until it’s all added and well mixed. Pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake for 50 minutes or until you can give it a poke with a skewer and it comes out clean.
Tips
Can you add frosting to this cake? Damn skippy you can! I like to make a glaze with lemon juice and powdered sugar (icing sugar). You can also dust it with powdered sugar or make a cream cheese icing to elevate it to the next level.
Dandelion
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About the Dandelion
Symbols of hope and happiness, these sunny little sweethearts should be given a little more love. Dandelion leaves, flowers and roots not only are edible (and delicious) but also provide a vital source of early pollen for bees.
The dandelion is known as the lover’s oracle. This is because you can tell whether the object of your affection loves you or loves you not by blowing the seeds off a dandelion globe. If they are all gone in one breath, you are definitely loved. If any remain, it’s a sad case of “loves you not.” In addition, they are weather oracles. They shut their mature seed globes tightly when rain threatens.
Dandelion Salad with Vinaigrette
Dandelions greens are amazing! Best harvested in the spring before they turn bitter, they can be enjoyed in a salad or cooked like spinach. They are packed with vitamins A, C, E, and K and calcium too!
For the Salad
3 medium beets
8 cups dandelion greens*
½ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
½ cup dandelion petals
½ cup feta cheese
For the vinaigrette
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Wrap the beets in foil and bake at 375°F (190⁰C) for an hour or until you can poke a fork in them without resistance. Peel the beets and cut into cubes and leave to cool.
Place the pepitas on a baking sheet and under the grill for about 10 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. Leave to cool.
Place your dandelion greens in your bowl, then add the beets. Crumble the feta cheese over the top and garnish with pepitas and dandelion petals.
In a small jug, mix the vinaigrette ingredients together and dress the salad just before serving.
Tips
*Use fresh greens that are pesticide-free and have been washed thoroughly.
I roast beets when I am using the oven for something else. I can reheat them for hot meals, use a mandolin to slice them for pickles or make this delicious salad.
Cornflower
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About Cornflower
In classical mythology, cornflowers are named after a melancholy boy named Cyanus, who loved blooms so much, he spent all his time weaving intricate flower wreaths. He wished more than anything to have a cloak the color of cornflowers. His longing consumed him and soon he was found dead in a field of cornflowers. The goddess Flora took pity on the boy for his obsession and transformed him into a cornflower, finally gifting him the blue coat he so desired. Cornflowers represent the delicacy of hope of one whose unrequited love is cultivated forever.
Watermelon Prosecco Gazpacho
In Spain, gazpacho is classified as a salad. The traditional recipe uses bread to give it a thicker consistency and the name ‘gazpacho’ originates from the Arabic for ‘soaked bread.’ It’s the perfect use for day-old bread and a great summertime snack.
1 cup ripe tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
3 cups watermelon, deseeded and chopped
2 cups strawberries, chopped
2 slices white crusty bread crusts removed, torn into rough 1-inch pieces
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
½ cup prosecco
2 tbsp lime juice
¼ cup cornflower petals plus a few for garnish
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Adjust salt to taste. Garnish with cornflower petals and serve cold with crusty bread.
Elderflower
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About Elderflower
The sweet fragrance of the elderflowers was believed to ward off evil spirits and bring blessings to the household. Elderflowers symbolize endings and rebirth from their association with the Celtic festival of Samhain (Halloween) and Elder branches are hung over the doors to ward off evil spirits.
Elderflower Bellini Fizz
Elderflower Simple Syrup
This syrup or cordial is a really wonderful addition to cocktails or add sparking water or club soda to make a refreshing summer drink.
4 cups elderflower blossoms
4 cups boiling water
4 cups sugar
Shake the elderflowers to free any bugs, then use a fork to ‘rake’ the flowers free from their stems. Discard stems, wash flowers and place in a large bowl. Add boiling water and set aside to steep for an hour. Drain the water off but don’t squeeze the flowers. Pour the water into a pot and bring to the boil. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Bottle and refrigerate until needed.
Elderflower Bellini Fizz
I only drink prosecco twice a year, when it’s my birthday and when it isn’t. All the flower syrups in this lovely book make excellent additions to your celebratory glass of prosecco, but elderflower is the best of these. Let’s pimp your prosecco with this delightful addition!
2 ounces elderflower syrup
3 ounces prosecco
1 ounce club soda
Lemon twist
Hibiscus
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About Hibiscus
Hibiscus flowers symbolize happiness, sunshine, and good luck! In Hawaii, a woman who wears the hibiscus flower behind her left ear is indicating that she would like to take a lover, while one who wears it behind her right has already been claimed.
Hibiscus Jelly
I live in a tiny country town of around 800 people. In my backyard is a small farm store where neighbours pick up jams, jellies, pickles, preserves and other wonderful things made by local residents and farmers. This hibiscus jam is one of my best sellers and I’m happy to share it here with you. It’s a great combination of sweet and sour that makes for a jam that is perfectly balanced.
5 cups boiling water
1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
1 tsp lemon juice
4 cups sugar
1 pack of powdered pectin
Prepare your jam jars and lids by boiling them in a canning pot of hot water for ten minutes.
Steep the hibiscus flowers in the boiling water for 2 hours. Strain the flowers out, but resist the temptation to squeeze them out or it will leave a bitter aftertaste. Place your hibiscus tea in a large pot on the stove and add the lemon juice and sugar. Bring it to a rolling boil that can’t be stirred down.
Add the powdered pectin and bring the boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute and then remove from the heat. Skim any foam off the top of the jam. Scoop jam into the jars and seal lids tightly.
Place jars back in your canning pot and boil for 10 minutes.
Tips
Jam will keep for up to a year unopened and for a month opened in the fridge.
Don’t want to use so much sugar? Use diabetic pectin and cut down the sugar to 1 or 2 cups depending on taste. This pectin will ensure the jam sets properly.
Lavender
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About Lavender
Representing tranquility, purity, and divine connection. On St. Luke’s Day, young maidens sip lavender tea to enjoy a dream in which they would see their true love. Lavender tucked under the pillows of young men encourages them to ask for a lady’s hand in marriage.
Lavender Shortbread Cookies
The O.G. of all butter cookies, traditional Scottish shortbread dates back to the 12th century. It’s a wonderful reminder that simplicity in cooking often renders the best results. Just flour, sugar and butter are all you need for a basic shortbread that any queen would lose her head over.
1 cup unsalted butter softened
3/4 cup sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp culinary lavender
Put the paddle attachment on your electric mixer and cream together the butter and sugar until light in colour (around 4 minutes). Add the salt, vanilla and almond extracts and mix for another 4 minutes.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour and add the culinary lavender. Add the flour to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Divide the dough into two halves and flatten into discs. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for an hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 325° F degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about to 1/2 -inch thickness and then cut out cookies using a cookie cutter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 10-13 minutes or until cookies are just browned around the edges. Allow to cool.
Tip: These are perfect for icing! You can use a royal icing which consists of 3 egg whites, 1 lb icing sugar and 1 tsp lemon juice. Whip until stiff peaks form and use a piping bag to create your own designs.
Marigold
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About Marigold
Marigolds are just here to party! They symbolize happiness and energy. In Thailand and India, they are threaded into long garlands for use in religious ceremonies, weddings and other celebrations. In Mexico, they are most often found on graves during the Día de los Muertos celebrations. These happy-go-lucky annuals are one of the easiest flowers to grow. They thrive in very harsh conditions, poor soil and sunny places and need very little care despite all the love they give.
Butternut and Marigold Bisque
Bisques perfectly capture the creamy, dreamy deliciousness that is the epitome of comfort cooking. The silky smoothness of the soup can be complimented with a little crunch from the roasted squash seeds. You can sop up the leftovers with a crusty bread such as our cornflower artisan bread.
3 tbsp olive oil plus more if you are roasting seeds
1 butternut squash
3 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-inch piece of ginger, minced
2 tsp fresh sage (or ½ tsp dried)
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup marigold petals plus extra for garnish
3 cups chicken broth (you can use vegetable)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup table cream
Preheat your oven to 400⁰F (204⁰C).
Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Rinse these, pat dry and set aside (optional).
Coat the butternut squash in the olive oil and place on a baking sheet in the oven. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until a fork can pass through the thickest bit without resistance*. Coat the butternut squash seeds in olive oil and roast for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
In a large pot over a medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion, garlic, ginger, sage, cinnamon and marigold petals. Fry gently until onions are soft (5-7 minutes). Scoop the squash out of its skin and add to the onion mixture. Fry for 2 minutes, then add the broth and reduce heat. Simmer with the lid on for 20 minutes.
Add the lemon juice and blend until the soup is smooth (an immersion blender works really well!) Add cream and garnish with toasted seeds and marigold petals.
Tips
*If you are in a hurry, peel the butternut squash and cut it into cubes before coating in oil and placing it in the oven.
Roasting the butternut seeds is optional, but it does add a crunchy element which is also delicious.
Peony
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About Peonies
Peonies symbolize bashfulness and beauty. There was a nymph named Paeonia, whose beauty attracted the attention of Apollo. Out of spite, Aphrodite turned her into a peony. This legend is likely what led to the flower’s meaning of poor luck in the Victorian age.
Peony and Brie Appetizer
Jam and cheese baked in a pie? So much better than 4 and 20 black birds! During the 16th century, bored courtiers enjoyed lavish meals. With royal chefs trying to outdo each other, their pies took on exciting forms like manor houses and strange beasts. With hot water crusts, the pies were able to be free standing and didn’t need a pie dish. When the strange shapes became passe, one court chef placed live blackbirds into an already baked pie crust. When the pie was opened, the birds escaped to must delight. This started the trend of the ‘surprise pye’ which saw increasingly bizarre things emerging from pies. During the reign of King Charles V, a chef of the Duke of Burgundy created a huge pye replete with musicians and a girl who popped out when the pie was opened.
2 cups flour (and a little more for dusting)
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
5 tbsp vegetable shortening
6 tbsp water
½ lb brie cheese (about 225g)
5 tbsp peony jam
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. Rub in the shortening until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the water, a little at a time until the dough comes together. Press the dough into a disc and cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400⁰F (204⁰C).
Cut the rind off the brie. Spread the peony jam even only over the top of the brie.
Roll out the pastry into a circular shape and place the brie in the centre, jam side down. Fold the pastry over the brie, trimming any excess off and securing the edges by pasting down with the beaten egg. Turn the brie over and place on a greased baking sheet.
Toll out the pastry offcuts and cut 3 even ¼-inch strips. Braid these into one long braid. Brush the outside of the pastry with the remaining egg. Place the braid around the edge of the brie. Trim the excess and brush with the egg mixture.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with crackers.
Rose
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About the Rose
Fossil records show that roses have been around for 35 million years which means there are more varieties than you can count in a month of Sundays. The Greeks believed Aphrodite created roses from her tears, while Cleopatra is said to have doused the sails of her ship in rosewater, emitting the scent of roses as she floated down the Nile.
Rose Pavlova
New Zealand claims the pavlova was the brainchild of a Wellington Hotel chef who took inspiration from ballerina Anna Pavlova’s tutu. Australians dispute this saying, instead, that is was created in a hotel in Perth—also inspired by Anna. Food historians claim they are both wrong and that the pavlova was around long before Anna P set a dainty foot in the Southern Hemisphere.
The world’s largest pavlova, ‘pavzilla’ was baked in February 1999 in Wellington and measured 45 metres. Not to be outdone, students from the Eastern Institute of Technology created ‘pavkong’ in March 2005 which measured 64 metres.
For the Pavlova
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup castor sugar
1 ½ tsp cornstarch
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tbsp rose water
For the Filling
½ cup whipping cream
1 tsp rose water
½ cup confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar)
Seasonal berries
Heat the oven to 275⁰F (140⁰C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and trace a 7-inch circle in the centre using a bowl as a rough guide.
Make sure your mixing bowl and whisk are clean—any errant oil and your meringue won’t stiffen.
Tip the egg whites into the bowl of your stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, beat until stiff. Now slowly add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until stiff, glossy peaks form. Sprinkle the cornstarch, vinegar and rose water over the top and gently fold them in.
Gently scoop your meringue out onto the circle and spread it around. Leave a small well in the centre for filling. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until it turns an eggshell pink.
Turn the oven off and leave the door ajar while you prepare the filling.
Beat the cream, rose water and confectioners’ sugar until smooth (about 2 minutes). Spread the filling over the pavlova and top with seasonal berries such as strawberries, service berries, Saskatoon berries, blueberries, gooseberries, raspberries or blackberries.
Tips
Heating the egg mixture gently over a pot of water on the stove while you mix the meringue will increase the volume and fluffiness of your meringue. Yotam Ottolenghi does it this way, so you know it’s good!
You can use any fruit and nut combination for the topping.
Saffron
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About Saffron
Saffron represents the sunset and fire, which together symbolize sacrifice, light, and salvation. Traditionally the colour of royalty, saffron infuses every dish with its bright colour and taste.
Roasted veggie salad with saffron
I love this combo of veggies which make for a delicious and colourful dish. With the addition of the dressing, you won’t have any issues getting your family to eat their veggies!
For the vegetables:
3 small parsnips, peeled
6 carrots, peeled
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
2 medium beets, peeled
olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
For the dressing:
2 tbsp (30ml) organic apple cider vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp minced ginger
¼ tsp saffron strands
2 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp (45ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 425⁰F (218⁰C)
Use a mandolin or very sharp knife to slice the parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes and beets into thin, round slices. Place on two cookie sheets greased with olive oil and sprinkle olive oil over the top of the veggies. Season with salt.
Bake for 4 minutes or until done.
Place the dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly, pour over veggies and serve immediately.
Serves 6 as a side dish.
Tips
I love roasting pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds and a little olive oil and sprinkling on top for a crunchy element.
Squash
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About Squash Flowers
Squash comes from Indigenous North American language. The word “squash” is an abbreviated form of askutasquash, the word for squash in the Narragansett language. The Iroquois and the Cherokee nations called corn, bean, and squash “The Three Sisters” because they nurture each other like family when planted together.
Squash is one of the Three Sisters of the native tribes, so called because corn, squash, and beans were traditionally grown together.
Fried Zucchini Flowers
This recipe is a fantastic appetizer or snack when you’re watching the game. They are great on their own, but you can bulk them out with filling. A spicy mayonnaise makes a great dip too!
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tspkosher salt
1 lager beer
3 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
24 zucchini flowers, stamens removed
Sea salt
In a medium pot, heat about 2” of oil.
In a mixing bowl, combine the salt, flour and beer and whisk. It’s ok if there are a couple of lumps—it’s more important not to whisk the beer flat. Fold in the egg whites. Dip the zucchini blossoms in the batter and pop into the oil. Fry on both sides until light brown (about 2-3 minutes). Season to taste with the sea salt.
Tips
You can make stuffed flowers too! Use ricotta or grated mozzarella and add bacon or prosciutto. Add a tablespoon of the stuffing into the centre of the flower. Fold the petals together and dip into the batter.
Sumac
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About Sumac
Sumac has long been entwined with Indigenous North American traditions. Its presence in ceremonies, from healing rituals to initiations, shows its sacred status as a symbol of protection and spiritual guidance.
Foraged Sumac Lemonade
I always think that lemonade should be enjoyed in the sunshine, preferably after rolling down a hill or lying on the lawn. Making lemonade is a wonderful way to showcase the flavour of sumac– its a delicate, lemony deliciousness that may get lost when you use sumac as a spice.
This lemonade is best in the spring, when the sumac clusters have turned a deep red. The small hairs on the sumac are where the flavours are the most concentrated and these can be knocked off by wind and rain as the summer progresses. The individual sumac berries are called drupes or bobs.
3 large sumac clusters
8 cups water
Honey to taste (optional)
In a large bowl, place the sumac clusters after rinsing gently to ensure there are no bugs. Smoosh them with your hands, breaking the drupes off the stalk. You’re trying to dislodge the hairs on the sumac through agitation here. Leave your sumac to soak overnight. Strain out the sumac and sweeten your lemonade with honey if you wish. Chill and serve on its own or as a cocktail mixer.
Violet
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About Violets
The violet has been thought to symbolize modesty, faithfulness, everlasting love, innocence, and remembrance. In the Victorian age, a gift of violets was a declaration always to be true. Persians and Greeks used the plants to help induce sleep, to calm anger, and to heal the heart and the head. Violet flowers steeped in hot water helped to ease a broken heart.
Candied Violets and Pansies
Candied violets are a practice in patience. I sit in the shade of my sugar maple in the summertime, delicately painting these petals and dipping them which I find marvellously meditative. I do pansies and violets and store them sealed bags for when I am making cakes or need a little something special to add to a dessert. They are so magical and, massive bonus, they taste great too.
1 egg white lightly beaten
¼ cup castor sugar (superfine sugar)
Shake out your violets and pansies to make sure they are bug free. Wash them and pat dry. I like to squish them under a large cookbook before I start so that they will lie flat. Dip a soft paintbrush in the egg white and paint it on the petals.
Dip the flowers in the castor sugar and gently shake off any excess. Leave in the sun to dry. Store in a cool, dry place until needed.
Nasturtiums
Illustration by Dana Harrison
Notes & Recipe by Nikki Fortheringham
About Nasturiums
They are a symbol of victory and patriotism— warriors would wear nasturtiums that were gifted to them by young women after battle.
Nasturtium Strawberry Salad
The combination of nasturtium flowers and strawberries makes this a bright, summer salad a favourite. You can substitute roasted pecans or walnuts for the pumpkin seeds for a nice crunchy element.
For the salad
¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
5 ounces (145g) baby spinach
5 ounces (145g) nasturtium flowers and leaves mixed
1 quart strawberries hulled and quartered
¾ cup feta crumbed
For the poppy seed dressing
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 ½ tbsp honey
½ tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp kosher salt
A pinch of black pepper
Place your salad ingredients in a bowl and toss to mix. Place the dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake to mix. Dress salad just before serving.