How to Cook with Scented Geraniums

The scented geraniums come in such a variety of flavors and scents that you could designate an entire greenhouse to them. If you love apricot, they have it. If mint is your preference, taste chocolate mint and peppermint. Lemon, lime, apple, ginger and nutmeg are scented geranium flavors, too. With all of these flavors, scented geraniums led themselves to recipes quite well.

Things You'll Need

• Various kinds of geranium leaves
• Sugar
• Apple juice
• Pectin
• Cooking utensils, pots and spoon to stir
• Stove
• Lemons
• Cake batter
• Cake pan
• Freezer

Instructions

1. Cut leaves finely to use in jellies. 2 cups of clean fresh scented geranium leaves (rose, mint, or fruit), 5 cups sugar, 1 quart of apple juice and fruit pectin make a delicious jelly. Mix leaves and apple juice and simmer in a pan for 10 minutes. Remove the leaves. Add fruit pectin and bring to a full rolling boil. Add the sugar and boil for 1 minute. Pour into jars.

2. Create scented sugars. Put a 1-inch layer down of sugar in a container. Cover with a layer of scented geranium leaves, your choice of flavors, and then top with another 1 inch layer of sugar. Leave for a week to create scented sugar for tea and baking.

3. Make scented geranium flavored lemonade with 1/2 cup sugar, 6 cups water, 8 scented geranium leaves and 1/2 to 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice. Bring 2 cups of water, the sugar and geranium leaves to a boil, remove from heat and cover. Allow this mixture to steep about 30 minutes or more. Add the rest of the water and lemon juice to taste. Serve over ice.

4. Line a cake pan with scented geranium leaves--with their tops facing down--before pouring in the batter. Cook as usual. When the cake is done, peel off the leaves from the top. The leaves will leave their wonderful flavors infused in the cake and a beautiful imprint on the top.

5. Brighten up beverages with scented geraniums and their flowers. Clip a few small leaves and put them into an ice cube tray full of water. Place the flowers on top. You can also place other edible flowers on the ice, like pansies. Freeze and serve in cold beverages.

6. Try a scented geranium sorbet. Mix 2 cups sugar, 5 cups water, ¾ cup chopped lime- and lemon-scented geranium leaves in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce to simmer until the mixture thickens (about 15 minutes). Freeze. Periodically stir while it is freezing to break up ice crystals. The more you stir and refreeze this mixture, the smoother the final results.