Sparkling Orchid Cucumber Limeade | The Recipe ReDux
Our dietetic intern from Penn State, Larissa, just completed a four week rotation with us and is guest posting for us today.~ Deanna
Nature provides some of the best gifts in summer, abundant fruits and veggies and my personal favorite: flowers. In the spring and summer months, different flowers bloom at different times and the way I see it, they’re like the gift that keeps on giving. Think of the beautiful colors, scents, and the surprise of when they first begin to bud.
Now imagine the taste, yes taste. Edible flowers are something that has recently come under my radar.
It began with the June Recipe ReDux theme and blossomed into an exploration of all things edible flowers (pun intended!) I danced around with the idea of honeysuckles and loved Carlene @ Healthfully Ever After’s simplistic yet unique Honeysuckle Simple Syrup. I also was inspired by Marla @ Family Fresh Cooking‘s beautiful Spring Bouquet Popsicles.
Ultimately, as I am no botanist, I decided to go with some ~non-poisonous~ lusciously purple orchids from Gentile’s Produce to compliment my homemade Sparkling Orchid Cucumber Limeade.
This crisp and refreshing beverage can be enjoyed at a cookout or just hangin’ by the pool. I would even go as far as to suggest trying it with spirits if you’re in that mood. I would recommend tequila or rum. My personal favorite is Bacardi Pineapple Fusion Rum. Mmmm hmmm.
PrintSparkling Orchid Cucumber Limeade
- Yield: approximately 4 servings. 1x
Ingredients
- ¾ cup diced cucumber, peeled and seeded (about 1 medium cucumber)
- ¼ cup cold water
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1-2 tablespoon agave syrup or honey
- 1 cup ice (approximation)
- 12 ounce seltzer or sparkling water
- Lime slices for garnish
- Edible orchids for garnish
- Cucumber slices for garnish
Instructions
- Blend cucumber with water until smooth.
- Add lime juice, agave, and ice and blend until mixture becomes a slushy consistency. Add more agave for a sweeter drink.
- Pour approximately ¼ cup slushy mixture in serving glasses and top with seltzer.
- Garnish glasses with a lime slice and edible orchid. Float a cucumber slice.
As for the flavor of the flower, I imagined it to be sweet and a little tangy but truth be told, it was quite bland. Moral of the story, edible orchids are a fun way to add flare without much effort and really impress your guests!
Have you ever cooked with flowers? What have you made? Any favorite floral flavors/scents?
Check out the ReDuxers creations below and click here for Round #2 of Flower Power!
Oooh edible orchids I haven't seen these before! So refreshing.
You can find them here and there in some of our farmers' markets - they are also the type of orchids used to make leis so this drink bring me back to Hawaii - ahhhhh!
Oh Hawaii on my mind
The limeade sounds so refreshing. Perfect for summer! I love all of the edible flower ideas being shared.
Agreed - your salad is divine!
I haven't made anything with flowers but I should! They are quite beautiful! Thank you for sharing and welcome!
Thanks Amber - these made me feel like I was back in Hawaii 🙂
Awesome that you're in your dietetic internship girl! I'll be a senior Dietetics major and will be applying this year to schools! Good luck with the rest of your time, this looks great!
xoxo Sarah Grace, Fresh Fit N Healthy.
Thank you Sarah Grace! Your coconut basil shortbread cookies look delish! I wish you the best in your dietetic internship quest and please feel free to contact me if you ever have questions throughout the process. Have a great senior year 🙂
What a perfect, refreshing drink on this first day of summer! Beautiful!
Thanks for checking it out Stephanie - glad you liked it!
Lovely looking pictures! Looking forward to reading your blog, Larissa 🙂
Thanks for the love Leigha! I look forward to reading your blog too - love your recipes and cats too!
Looks like a refreshing beverage, I could go for one in about one hour! Love the color combo you have going on!
Thank you Diane! Glad you like it 🙂
That looks awesome! So sweet and refreshing. 🙂
Mmm hmm - kind of like cucumbers at the spa but in a glass 🙂 Thanks!
Wow these photos are just beautiful - blowing my mind, fabulous job. The limeade is a great recipe too. Totally love it!
Thank you so much Kamila! Props to Deanna's wonderful photography skills 🙂 Glad you like the recipe!
What a beautiful summer drink. It sounds so refreshing and looks lovely - yep, one of these, a pristine blue pool, a hot summers day and me, sounds perfect
Sounds pretty perfect to me too Nikki - I'll meet you at the pristine blue pool! Haha. Your blog looks great and it's such an inspiration since I use Weebly too!
This sounds really lovely for summer! And the orchids are so pretty as a garnish, and I had no idea that they were edible!
Oh, I love the colors in these photos! The flowers just pop out of the photos almost. And I love limeade! The perfect summer drink 😉
Thanks Sarah Jane! I could go for some of your mock sweet rose bubble tea right now - yum!
This is so, so pretty (and the perfect summer drink to sip at a beach on a hot day :D)! I had no idea orchids were edible! 😮
Ahh yes, sipping on the beach is ideal. I was surprised too but they had them at my local produce market! 🙂
So beautiful! Totally making this one....I love cucumber in beverages (makes me feel like I'm at a spa :))
Me too - cucumber is so light and refreshing! 🙂
Love that this is sparkling! For some reason adding bubbles to a drink instantly makes is 20 times better to me. Looks great for a hot summer day!
Ok, so this is brilliant! I have a cucumber addiction. The gorgeous flowers are making me get going on planning my trip beach trip to Greece. Yum, yum, yum!
Ahhh, beach trip to Greece sounds heavenly! Totally on my travel bucket list...
This looks so pretty. Perfect island drink. Love to see Penn Staters mentoring Penn State students!!
This looks so refreshing. Beautiful picture. too.
I am going to try this at my next get together! Looks like a hit! =)
Looks gorgeous and very impressive! Love how the expectation and the reality of what it tastes like don't quite match up - I had similar issues! 🙂