Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 30, 2016 9A
Plant two times the flavor with edible flowers
Pop some flowers in
among the beans and let-
tuce and you’ll have two
times the chance for an edi-
ble harvest.
“Edible flowers look great
in the garden and on the
plate,” said Brooke Ed-
munds, horticulturist for the
Oregon State University Ex-
tension Service. “Some es-
pecially pretty and tasty
ones are the blue blossoms
of borage, classic roses and
chamomile with its little,
white flowers.”
Others on her list include
annuals such as happy or-
ange or yellow flowering
calendula, marigold or nas-
turtium; the distinctive
faces of Johnny jump up or
pansy; and traditional blue
bachelor button. All of
these are easy to start by
seed indoors right now or
directly seeded into the
g ro u n d w h e n t h e s o i l
warms up in May. Follow
the directions on the back
of the seed packet and
you’ll be golden. Don’t for-
get to thin the little
seedlings, Edmunds said.
Otherwise, they’ll compete
each other out of existence.
Herbs can’t possibly be
left off the list, so mull over
chive, basil, fennel, oregano,
lavender and rosemary flow-
ers, all of which do double
duty with flower power and
foliage flavor. Perennials
such as pineapple sage and
daylily do us a kindness in
the kitchen as well, and
don’t forget to use vegetable
BIRTHS
McKibben
K YM
P OKORNY
Kolbie June McKibben was born to Micheal McKibben
and Courtney Durbin, of Dallas, at 11:38 a.m. on March 11
at Salem Hospital Family Birth Center.
He weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces, and was 20 inches
long.
Kolbie joins Jace, 4, and Presley, 1.
Grandparents are Paul and Kim Malvaney, of Red-
mond, and Paul and Angi McCallum, of Dallas.
Your
Garden
flowers like snap peas, broc-
coli, squash, chives and
scarlet runner beans in dish-
es along with their more tra-
ditional edible parts.
Make sure the blossoms
you plant are the blossoms
you can eat, Edmunds said.
Not all flowers are safe to
consume, so always identify
the plant first and verify that
they’re okay to put in your
mouth or mix into your
recipes. The OSU Master
Gardeners are a great source
for help with plant identifi-
cation. It’s also a good idea
to try any new plant in small
amounts.
Deciding where to plant
edible flowers needn’t be a
conundrum. You can sprin-
kle them about, line a bed or
path, even add an entire row
in the vegetable plot.
Designing with edible
flowers has more than culi-
nary rewards, she noted.
“Adding edible flowers to
the garden is going to in-
crease the diversity of
plants,” she said. “This in
turn will attract a diverse in-
sect population, including
beneficial insects such as
pollinators or those that
keep pest insects in check.”
Avoid eating flowers from
florists — like roses — be-
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
PHOTO BY CHRIS LABELLE
A classic culinary lower, lavender pairs nicely with ice
cream and sorbet, cookies and scones, tea, salad dress-
ings and looks and tastes lovely frozen into ice cubes.
cause they’re not being sold
as food and it’s hard to know
whether they’ve been treat-
ed with chemicals, Ed-
munds said. If you get them
locally from a farm stand or
a CSA (Community Sup-
ported Agriculture), you can
ask.
In your garden, harvest
flowers at their peak. Treat
them like cut flowers and
place the ends in water to
preserve freshness. Keeping
them cool can also help, Ed-
munds said. Commercial
companies will package and
refrigerate cut, edible flow-
ers.
You’ve got them grown,
cut and chilled. Now what?
Here are a few of Edmunds’
suggestions:
Nasturtium adds a pep-
pery flavor and bright or-
ange, red and white colors
to salads.
Borage has a mild cu-
cumber flavor. Freeze in ice
cubes and add a pop of blue
to lemonade or summer
cocktails.
Use roses to flavor pastry
cream, add it to a tart shell
and top with raspberries.
Candied flowers are good
for topping cupcakes and
desserts.
St r a w b e r r y- l a ve n d e r
milkshakes are amazing.
Continued from page 8A
—
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6
• Indoor Play Park — 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Tuesday
through Friday, First Presbyterian Church, 879 SW Levens St.,
Dallas. Drop-ins welcome. For ages infant through pre-K with
parent. Free, but donations accepted. 503-623-3397.
• Helping Hands Emergency Food Bank — 10 a.m. to noon,
Monmouth Christian Church, 959 Church St. W., Monmouth.
For eligible community members; available every Wednesday.
541-404-6517.
• Senior meals, Dallas — 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday,
LaCreole Manor, 204 SW Walnut St., Dallas. Free, but $3 dona-
tion suggested. Reservations required. 503-623-6232.
• Senior meals, Monmouth — 11:30 a.m. Monday through
Friday, Monmouth Senior Center, 180 S. Warren St., Monmouth.
Free, but $3 donation suggested. Reservations required. 503-
838-2084.
• Scrabble with Betty — 1 p.m., Independence Public Li-
brary, 175 Monmouth St., Independence. Scrabble games irst
Wednesday of every month. Free; refreshments and prizes
available. 503-551-7687 or 503-838-1811.
• Willamette Valley Food Assistance Program Food Bank
— 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., 888 Monmouth Cutof Road, Building E,
Dallas. Weekly distribution for eligible community members.
503-831-5634.
• Yarning for Others — 3 to 5 p.m., St. Thomas Episcopal
Church, 1486 SW Levens St., Dallas. Knitters and crocheters
gather to make clothing and accessories for those in need on
the irst Wednesday of every month. 503-689-7222.
• Brew and BS: The Old Testament — 7 p.m., St. Thomas
Episcopal Church, 1486 SW Levens St., Dallas. A lecture series
on the Old Testament. Bring brew of choice — cofee, tea, chai,
beer, wine, cider. 435-503-4304.
MI TOWN
This coming weekend,
we turn the calendar to the
brand spanking new month
of April, and we’re looking
forward to a new month of
longer and sunnier days,
and hopes that we can
make some headway
against the weeds that —
given half a chance — could
easily take over the garden.
—
Weeding the backyard
garden is much simpler
than getting rid of the nox-
ious weeds that seem to be
growing everywhere, in the
form of anger and mean-
spirited hate speech — in
small towns and big cities,
in farms and factories and
in coffee shops and living
rooms. I’ve been a political
junkie since I met Adlai
Stevenson when he was
campaigning for president
and I was writing for my
high school newspaper. I
cast my first presidential
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
vote for Barry Goldwater
and my most recent for
Barack Obama, and I’ve
voted for candidates from
both political parties over
the years. I’ve been called a
bleeding-heart liberal by
conservatives and a rock-
ribbed conservative by lib-
erals.
—
It’s an understatement to
say that people from all
sides of the political spec-
trum, as well as members of
the public, have been be-
having badly. When elected
officials are spat upon, hor-
rid things are said and
threats are made against
their families, it is time to
seriously think about what
we have become as individ-
ual citizens and what it says
about our values. We all
need to take a few moments
to really evaluate what’s
being said about whom, is it
true or just something to
get better TV or radio rat-
ings. What is truth and what
is myth and folklore? What
values does a particular
candidate share with you?
What has the candidate ac-
complished that reflects
positive things? What does a
candidate promise and
what steps does he or she
outline to make it a reality?
What candidate shares your
values and ideas? Vote for
the best candidate, not the
loudest.
—
Let’s celebrate our brand
new month with breakfast
at the Monmouth Senior
Center on Saturday from
8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Bring the
family and friends and start
off a busy weekend with
pancakes, scrambled eggs,
sausage, biscuits and gravy
served by cheerful volun-
teers.
—
After the breakfast on
Saturday, stop by the Mon-
mouth Public Library meet-
ing room, where Lyle Wal-
lace, Ph.D. student at Ore-
gon State University will
show adults how to grow
the most favorable tomato
possible in their gardens,
beginning at 11 a.m.
—
Mark your calendars for
Tuesday when Monmouth
Public Library hosts Family
Coloring Night from 5:30 to
7 p.m. Join the fun and
enjoy a great evening dis-
covering this great pastime.
All supplies and snacks are
provided by the Friends of
the Monmouth Library.
Friday, April 8th
Food and Silent Auction begin at 5 pm
Outcry Auction begins at 7 pm • Live Music
Suggested donation $5 per meal,
$20 maximum for immediate family
Menu:
Spaghetti and sauce
Green salad
Garlic bread
Choice of drinks
(Until 7:00 pm while it lasts)
Auction
items include:
• Antiques and other old stuf
• International arts and crats
• Quilts and wooden boxes
• Local crats and goods
Silent Auctions close at various times. Auctioneer: Al Sieverson
For tickets for the dinner or more information:
Christ’s Church Oice: 503-838-1724
Denvy Saxowsky: 541-223-4462, saxowsky@gmail.com
Kay Graven: 503-623-5495, gkr@q.com
Tami Bookey-Kuhlmann: 2015relayforlifepc@gmail.com
Organized by Relay for Life teams such as
Footprints, Determinators,
Minions Fighting Cancer,
Cleaning Up Cancer Babes
and more.
All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society
to help Finish the Fight against Cancer.
New to the area? Number change?
Call us to update!
Contact the Advertising Department for more information.
Itemizer-Observer 503-623-2373