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Preserve and Keep Your Fresh Flowers for
Longer!
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Preserving flowers is an old art that was
practiced in colonial times. There is a growing population
that is becoming more aware of preserving their flowers.
Drying flowers is very rewarding and it is easy to do. You
can hang and press your flowers, use silica gel, glycerin, sand
and other mixtures of drying ingredients. |
 | Hanging Flowers:
Hang flowers (not yet wilted) up side down in a warm, dry dark
place. Not in basements, porches, or garages where it may be
damp. |
| Glycerien: Use two
p arts of water to one
part of gylcerien, the water should be luke warm for faster
absorption. Immerse the stems of the flowers in the
solution, it could take two to three weeks for the glycerine
to reach the tips. If flower wilts while in solution,
remove and hang upside down. |
| Pressing: Use unglazed
paper, newsprint or telephone books, spread the flowers so
they do not overlap. Close book and place a heavy object
on the book or paper. Time to dry depends on flower
size, it can be from two to four weeks. |
| Sand Drying: Sand must
be clean, very fine, dry and preferably salt free.
Before drying flowers sift the sand to remove foreign
particles. Rinse the sand and let it dry several times
to remove dirt (dry damp sand in the oven in shallow pans at
250 degrees for 20-30 minutes). Place an inch or two of
sand in a container, make a depression on the surface, place
flower head up right in depression. Gently begin to
sprinkle sand over the flower starting with the outer
petals. |
| Other Mixtures at Home:
Equal portions of powered pumice and yellow corn meal OR equal
portions of borax and yellow cornmeal add 3 table spoons of
non-iodized salt to each quart of either mixture. Cream
of wheat can be substituted for corn meal. Apply mixture
like sand, place in an open container in a warm dry location
for about two weeks. |
| Microwave Drying: (Uses
silica gel) Use caution when using microwave
drying. Use same sized flowers from one species at a
time.
1. Use a microwave safe container. Partially fill a
container with silica gel, place flower in container stem side
down. Slowly sift the silica gel around the flower until it is
covered
2. Place the container in the microwave. Place 1 cup of water
in the rear left corner. Heat on full power. Check the chart
for time. Large flowers take longer heating times.
3.Important! After heating, the flower must stand in
the silica gel until the silica gel is cool. This takes much
longer than the instructions given in the cookbook. Not
letting the flower stand long enough may be the reason many
people experience failures. Don't try to remove any flower for
two hours; generally from four to six hours is needed. If the
flower is removed too soon it will be warm and limp, and will
not be able to hold its form.
The following is part of a chart from the cookbook Introduction
to Touchmatic Cooking with the Amana Radarange:-----------------------------------------------------
Minimum Amount
Flower* Heating Time** of Standing Time
-----------------------------------------------------
Carnation 2-1/2 to 3 min. This is the area
where I depart from
my cookbook's
instructions.
Daffodil 1-1/2 to 2 min.
Pansy -
1st drying 45 sec.
2nd drying 1-1/2 min.
Rose 1-1/2 min.
Sunflower 1-3/4 min.
Violet 1-1/2 to 2 min.
Zinnia 2 to 2-1/2 min.
-----------------------------------------------------
* If the flower you are drying is not on the list,
select one that is near to it in size and form.
**Heating time is on full power.
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| Silica Gel:
Flowers will dry in about 36-48 hours. Use an air tight
container. Use like sand. Winifrede Morrison's
book Drying & Preserving Flowers gives details on
the use of silica gel. |
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References
Patricia Thorpe, Everlastings, the Complete Book of Dried
Flowers, ISBN 0-395-41160-2, Houghton Mifflin Company, Quarto
Marketing Ltd, 15 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10010, 1985.
Winifrede Morrison, Drying & Preserving
Flowers, ISBN 0-8521-9605-9, Dryad Press, 4 Fitzhardinge
Street, London, Great Britain W1H0AH, 1985. |
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