Tomorrow is National Tulip Day

  

January 17th is National Tulip Day - while we are covered with snow here in Michigan where I live, apparently in the Netherlands, the 17th marks the beginning of Tulip Season. I personally love tulips - they are SO pretty and colorful! Do you have any flowers which bring you happiness to see them in bloom? 

I live just 30 minutes from Holland, MI - home of the Tulip festival, and as you might imagine, tulips are a big deal in this area when they are blooming - which won't be until May. Pretty much everyone around here has tulips which bloom in their flower gardens - even people like me who have the "black thumb of death" when it comes to growing plants!

Yes, even I have tulips growing in my little flower garden . . . and I'm being extremely "generous" to call this area of my yard a "garden"! Red tulips primarily, but sometimes yellow or white tulip, too. I love all the tulips, but there is one special tulip we have which does not bloom every year. When it does we only get one or two blooms. This special tulip is the Checkered Tulip. It has a lovely red and white checkered pattern which covers the blooms and the blooms hang down - like a bell. I love the Checkered Tulip. Last Fall we had to have work on our well - which sadly looks like it resulted in my Checkered Tulips being dug up. I am hoping this Spring they will bloom, but they very well may not.

Several years ago while I was finishing up preparations for my mother's birthday dinner, I turned and saw my sweet then four-year old middle grand - with blue eyes twinkling and a smile from ear-to-ear, and . . . well, you might be correctly guessing what happened next! Yes, my sweet little grand had picked my Checkered Tulips and brought them in to me!

It was a very short time to enjoy the Checkered Tulips that particular year, but the memory of my grand's love and happiness at bringing me something special filled my heart with joy and continues to do so today!

Oh, and, did you know Tulip blossoms and petals are edible? Apparently they are! And so are the bulbs - during the Dutch famine of 1944–45, people ate tulip bulbs to survive. The bulbs, when cooked, provided essential nutrition and kept many people alive in those desperate times.

Only use tulips grown specifically for consumption, ensuring they haven't been treated with pesticides or other chemicals. The petals have a flavor that can range from bland to tasting like beans, peas, or cucumbers, and they lose their vibrant color when cooked. 

• Stuffed Petals: Tulip petals make excellent, colorful canapé cups for various fillings.
• Fill with a creamy goat cheese mix or a savory tapioca, mushroom, and pea mixture.
• Serve the stuffed petals with herby green salads
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• Salads: Single-petal varieties work best in salads, offering a sweet, crunchy texture.
• Add clean, washed petals to a mesclun mix with chèvre, pepitas, and a light vinaigrette.
Desserts: Edible tulips can also be a unique component in sweet dishes.
• Chocolate Mousse Tulips: Pipe dark chocolate mousse into prepared tulip flowers for a unique dessert.
• Tulip Petal Lemonade: Steep petals in boiling water with sugar to make a simple syrup, then mix with lemon juice and cold water. 

Which might you try? I think the Mousse Tulips and Tulip Lemonade

sound interesting!