Banquet Piece, Pieter Claez

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Measuring Tree Girth

We visited these ancient olives at
Mission San Jose during the Olive Festival 2017.
I will need to compare
with those old ones
at the California Nursery Historical Park.
But I think this one is bigger by far.
Tree girth is measured at breast height. Also lets you give them a good hug!

I'd say this one is about 10 feet in circumference.






















Saturday, October 21, 2017

You can have your roses and eat them, too

Dandelions top a snack of Mr. Lincoln and a pink rose.
All roses are edible. But some are more tasty. And of course, only if they are grown organically. Grow your own roses so you know that they are safe to eat.

Rosalind Creasy suggests these roses in her book, the Edible Flower Garden:

  • 'Cécile Brünner'
  • 'Zéphirine Drouhin'
  • 'Austrian Copper'
  • 'Eglantine'
  • 'Belinda' (candying)
  • Rugosa alba
  • Rosa gallica
  • Rosa moschata
  • Rosa centifolia
  • Rosa damascena
  • 'The Fairy'
  • 'Carefree Delight'
  • 'Jeanne Lajoie'
  • 'Graham Thomas'
  • 'Perfect Moment'
  • "Tiffany'
  • 'Mr. Lincoln' (the red one that Beta is smelling)
  • 'Double Delight'
  • 'Mirandy'
  • 'Pink Flower Carpet'

For making rose tea in the rose garden, I like the Bourbon rose 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' and the Portland roses: 'Rose de Rescht' and 'Pickering Four Seasons'. 'Jacques Cartier'  (Damask Perpetual/Hybrid Perpetual/Portlandis nice, too.

Also check on an earlier article with other roses to use for rose extracts.

To make it easier here's the list from that page:

  • The Best and Most Fragrant Roses for Making Rose Water and Potpourris suggests Damask rose, Centifolia rose, moss roses. 
  • Suggested Damask roses: Leda, La Ville des Bruxelles, Jacques Cartier, Celsiana, Hebe’s Lip, and Madame Hardy. 
  • Suggested Centifolia roses: Tour de Malakoff, Fantin Latour, and The Bishop. 
  • Suggested Moss roses: Alfred de Dalmas (Mousseline),Chapeau de Napoleon, Henri Martin, William Lobb. 
  • Other suggested roses: Madame Isaac Pereire (most fragrant?), Souvenir de la Malmaison, Comte de Chambord, Reine des Violettes