Scented Geranium

Scented Geranium

Pelargonium

Scented geraniums come in a variety of flavors, fragrances, and flowers. Of all scented geraniums, rose and lemon geraniums tend to be favorites in the kitchen. Scented geranium leaves are commonly used in jellies, cakes, cookies, desserts, butters, sauces, syrups, sugars, vinegars, or drinks. The leaves can also be used under baked apples or cakes, infused in teas or added to a cup of wine, added to liver pate, cooked in watercress soup or Welsh rarebit, or baked with fish in cider.

Like bay leaves, though, scented geranium leaves are rarely eaten and usually removed after the cooking process. Flowers can be used in salads, desserts, or crystallized. None of the crispum species should be used in cooking, because they may upset the stomach.

I decided to include scented geranium in my favorite culinary herbs because it, like mint, offers a wide variety of flavors and scents that act as natural food flavorings. I feel that scented geraniums are another good beginner culinary herb.

Recipes

Rose Geranium Jelly
From Edible Flowers: Desserts & Drinks

1 pint apple jelly

1/2 cup rose geranium petals

Heat the apple jelly over a low heat until it turns liquid. Add the rose geranium petals

and stir. Remove from heat and pour jelly into a jelly glass. Allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate. Delicious heated and drizzled over vanilla ice cream or plain pound cake. Use within 2 weeks.

Rose Angel Cake
From Edible Flowers: Desserts & Drinks

1 angel food cake, cut into 3 equal layers

orange juice

Rose Geranium Jelly (see above recipe)

vanilla ice cream, softened

Place the first layer of the angel food cake in an angel food cake (tube) pan. Lightly sprinkle the layer with orange juice. Spread a thin layer of Rose Geranium Jelly over the cake. Place the next layer atop the first. Sprinkle lightly with orange juice and spread thickly with ice cream. Add the last layer of

cake. Sprinkle lightly with orange juice and spread with Rose Geranium Jelly. Spread with ice cream. Put cake in freezer until ice cream hardens.

Remove from freezer and gently unmold onto a serving plate. Spread ice cream over the entire cake and return to freezer until ice cream hardens.

Serve garnished with rose geranium petals.

Serves 10 to 16.

Home

Culinary

Search OSU PlantFacts for information on scented geranium:

	Scented geraniums come in a variety of flavors, fragrances, and flowers. Of all scented geraniums, rose and lemon geraniums tend to be favorites in the kitchen. Scented geranium leaves are commonly used in jellies, cakes, cookies, desserts, butters, sauces, syrups, sugars, vinegars, or drinks. The leaves can also be used under baked apples or cakes, infused in teas or added to a cup of wine, added to liver pate, cooked in watercress soup or Welsh rarebit, or baked with fish in cider.
Like bay leaves, though, scented geranium leaves are rarely eaten and usually removed after the cooking process. Flowers can be used in salads, desserts, or crystallized. None of the crispum species should be used in cooking, because they may upset the stomach.
I decided to include scented geranium in my favorite culinary herbs because it, like mint, offers a wide variety of flavors and scents that act as natural food flavorings. I feel that scented geraniums are another good beginner culinary herb.

Recipes
Rose Geranium Jelly From Edible Flowers: Desserts & Drinks
1 pint apple jelly 1/2 cup rose geranium petals Heat the apple jelly over a low heat until it turns liquid. Add the rose geranium petals	and stir. Remove from heat and pour jelly into a jelly glass. Allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate. Delicious heated and drizzled over vanilla ice cream or plain pound cake. Use within 2 weeks.
Rose Angel Cake From Edible Flowers: Desserts & Drinks
1 angel food cake, cut into 3 equal layers orange juice Rose Geranium Jelly (see above recipe) vanilla ice cream, softened Place the first layer of the angel food cake in an angel food cake (tube) pan. Lightly sprinkle the layer with orange juice. Spread a thin layer of Rose Geranium Jelly over the cake. Place the next layer atop the first. Sprinkle lightly with orange juice and spread thickly with ice cream. Add the last layer of	cake. Sprinkle lightly with orange juice and spread with Rose Geranium Jelly. Spread with ice cream. Put cake in freezer until ice cream hardens. Remove from freezer and gently unmold onto a serving plate. Spread ice cream over the entire cake and return to freezer until ice cream hardens. Serve garnished with rose geranium petals. Serves 10 to 16.