Floral Provisions

Floral Provisions is a stunning guide to incorporating edible flowers in a variety of recipes! Each page features gorgeous recipes perfect for entertaining or taking solo cooking to the next level. It emphasizes both the art of presentation and how to put everything together. Highly recommended!

Thank you Chronicle Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure what I expected from this book, but it was still not what I thought it would be.

There are some unique floral recipes in this book. Pictures are minimal which surprised me and I wasn't blown away by the pictures that are included. I would love to know more about what some of these finished products should look like! There's very basic recipes in the beginning like salt and syrup and then other recipes that incorporate edible flowers into recipes. Most of the recipes are floral because they include a floral salt, floral syrup, or rose water which is cool but not what I was expecting. Some of them also include edible flowers as garnishes which makes sense, but also if I went somewhere and there were flowers on a charcuterie board along with other food I would assume the flowers are decorative, not that they're supposed to be eaten with the other foods included so I'm not sure if I consider putting edible flowers with pre-existing foods a recipe.

To me this wasn't a book so much about making things out of flowers, but rather incorporating floral flavors or edible flowers as garnish to things you already eat. While there are some interesting ideas, I don't see myself making floral butter anytime soon.

This is a lovely book with some really strong elements but also some negatives for me.

Pros: It has stunning photography that is very Instagram-worthy (this isn't necessary a plus to me but I know it is to many). The author is a well respected recipe developer and the dishes are all the type to impress your garden party friends (ditto). There are elements like a list of what flavors various flowers impart and tips for growing your own edible flowers. The flavor combinations often sound delicious, and the addition of things like rose salt and jasmine sugar are sure to elevate your basic dishes.

Cons: There aren't many photographs of the actual recipes. They tend to be stunning layouts of ingredients and flowers instead. There were occasionally photos of the recipes and they looked straight out of Instagram or a fancy magazine, but too often they seemed like merely well done stock photos instead of images to show you what the actual finished dish would look like.

The recipes are really designed for people who eat quite a lot of wheat and sugar (I eat neither), so those who are diabetic, paleo, gluten free, keto, low carb, etc. will find almost nothing they can cook without very heavy adaptation. Many recipes also call for other recipes as ingredients. For instance, most recipes call for rose salt, jasmine sugar, etc. in addition to other floral components.

It also focuses mainly on just a few flowers like rose petals, jasmine, rose geranium leaves (ironically I have about 8 other types of scented geraniums but she really raves about these), and chamomile. Most of these seem to be ones you're supposed to purchase rather than grow or forage. I was so pleased to see elderflowers mentioned in one title and then saw that the elderflower ingredient was purchased elderflower liqueur instead of providing a recipe using elderflowers (if you want to make your own elderflower liqueur, I have an easy recipe in my elderberry book, basically make an alcohol tincture and then add sugar). There were one or two recipes using lilacs but for the most part you're expected to buy the floral ingredients at the farmers' market or online.

Cons continued: The range of flowers was really disappointing. Nasturtiums are so easy to grow, so pretty, and so zippy in things like salads but Winslow doesn't provide any recipes for them other than a floral butter. She doesn't even mention many popular edible flowers, much less include a recipe for them. Violets grow wild all around us (and maybe in your lawn). Violet sugar and violet syrup are springtime staples around here, but are never mentioned in the book. I would have loved to see stuffed zucchini blossoms, dandelion fritters (a favorite my kids nag me for every spring), elderflower soda (elderflowers, sugar, lemon, water and about three days to start bubbling from the natural yeasts -- let it keep going and you get elderflower champagne), how to make hibiscus tea from your own hibiscus flowers instead of just buying them, lists of easy edible flowers to grow, etc. There is also no nutritional information on the recipes and no recipes for those on special diets.

All that said, it is a beautiful book. Folks who love Martha Stewart and coffee table books are likely to devour it. Three stars for "liked it."

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via Net Galley.

I have always loved going to high tea. Even more enchanting is going to high tea where they have used flowers in their treats. When I saw this book, I figured why not give it a try myself. And I have everything in the house right now to make Garden Party ANYTHING!

The best part is, you can order dried flowers as well as growing and harvesting your own. The author also includes some tips on growing your own. Not only do flowers make your food look awesome, they make it taste blooming delicious too! I can’t wait for the next time I host tea for my friends…it’s going to be a Garden Party Tea theme for sure!

I loved this beautiful book of recipes incorporating edible flowers. The photographs of the flowers and the food are sumptuous and gorgeous. The recipes are tantalizing and wholly original. I especially appreciated the recipes incorporating lavender. It has been awhile since I have read a cookbook as original and beautiful as this one and I can’t wait to try some of the recipes.

Thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for this beautifully presented and original book!

This was an enchanting idea to turn edible flowers into lovely recipes. I wonder if the smell of the flower carries over. I’ve never actually heard of this being done before but it was a delightful surprise. I’m not sure I could do these recipes justice but loved the gallery of pictures! Thanks so much for a look at this book... four stars. This is my voluntary review!

Food and flowers, flowers in food, two of my favorite things! This darling book features fanciful floral-infused recipes coupled with beautifully styled photos. I will use some of the recipes in this book as the inspiration for my next garden party.

I can’t wait to get a hard copy of this book! 😍 Until then, my gratitude to Chronicle Books, NetGalley, and Cassie Winslow for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ll never forget being at a little garden and flower shop for a cooking demonstration as the host described all the many ways you could use flowers - FLOWERS?! - in your cooking. I had never considered this before! Okay, I was like 12, but I was still so intrigued by this new revelation!

This lovely book brings back all those feelings of awe and excitement. Fresh ideas for incorporating floral flavors into foods and drinks. Fun, beautiful, and body sustaining. You really can’t get any better than this.

The recipes included are simple, yet will impress your family and friends. There are recipes for incorporating flowers into your daily indulgences (Coffee with Garden Party Creamer or Chocolate Chip Cookies with Rose Salt), a special event (Floral Cheese Board or Floral Chèvre + Chamomile-Salted Cucumber Tea Sandwiches), or for creating unique gifts (floral salts, sugars, jams…). The flowers and ingredients used are easily attainable. I do wish more variety of flowers had been included, however this is a not-overwhelming introduction to this culinary concept.