Pretty fragrant bread
Rose geraniums add flavor and floral bouquet to food
I’ve always loved geraniums. Their old-fashioned vibe, scalloped leaves and bright blooms filled my apartment’s bay window when I lived in San Francisco back in the ’90s. Different pots and plants followed me across the U.S. until I landed in Pittsburgh and rooted up.
Once here, I discovered rose or sweet-scented geraniums ( Pelargonium graveolens), not to be confused with regular old geraniums, which have their own excellent smell. Early one summer, I picked up a little potted plant at Brenckle’s Greenhouses on Mount Troy Road in Reserve, lured in by my history with the plant and the smell of this particular one.
A geranium that smelled like a rose seemed like the perfect combination for the pots lining my garden stairway.
Once home, I did a little research and found that many rose lotions and soaps are actually made from rose geranium oil, which has anti-oxidant properties and a strong scent. Our idea of the smell of roses doesn’t necessarily come from roses at all, but from this cheery, fuzzy-leafed imposter.
Over the years I’ve also found rose geraniums at Chapon’s and Lowe’s. No one place seemed to carry this annual consistently, though.
These days I have a big
“mother” rose geranium growing year-long in my east-facing bathroom window. It blooms off and on with pretty pink and fuchsia blossoms that are smaller than the traditional geranium flowers you might already know and love.
I pinch leaves from that big plant to root starter geraniums that will grow big and robust once transplanted outside into larger pots during the summer months.
It’s simple: Poke the stem into some dirt and keep it moist until it begins to root and grow. There is no need to buy new geraniums every year! They overwinter just fine inside and are happy to share their leaves and continue their legacy indefinitely.
Besides being perennials, rose geraniums are also edible. The leaves and blossoms can be chopped and added to leafy green salads. The leaves are a fantastic addition to blackberry jam and I make a sweet bread with them around this time of year when not much fruit is in season. It smells absolutely amazing while it’s baking and tastes great with my morning coffee or tea.
If you, too, love geraniums and roses and maybe just aren’t that great with the special care that rose bushes need, I have the plant for you.
Gertrude Stein said, “A rose is a rose is a rose.” Except sometimes it isn’t. It’s a rose geranium.