A Better Book Club - Garden Spells

Garden Spells

By Sarah Addison Allen

Amazon / B&N / IndieBound

This book was food heaven! I learned so much about edible flowers and their alleged magical properties. Sarah Addison Allen astounded me with the delectable tastes and smells she conjured up, so the only difficulty with these menus will be narrowing down what you want most. -Abby

Book Club Discussion Questions

Enchanting Floral Garden Party

"...the locals knew that dishes made from the flowers that grew around the apple tree in the Waverley garden could affect the eater in curious ways."

"'Everyone make a toast to food and flowers,' she said."

Menu:

Biscuits with lilac jelly, lavender tea cookies, and nasturtium tea sandwiches

"The biscuits with lilac jelly, the lavender tea cookies, and the tea cakes with nasturtium mayonnaise the Ladies Aid ordered for their meetings once a month gave them the ability to keep secrets."

Fried dandelion buds over marigold rice, stuffed pumpkin blossoms, and rose hip soup

"The fried dandelion buds over marigold-petal rice, stuffed pumpkin blossoms, and rose-hip soup ensured that your company would notice only the beauty of your home and never the flaws."

Anise hyssop honey (or wildflower honey) on toast, candied angelica, cupcakes with crystallized pansies

"Anise hyssop honey buttered on toast, angelica candy, and cupcakes with crystallized pansies made children thoughtful."

Hyacinth bulbs are tough to find in the U.S., so try a caramelized onion dip and chicory mint salad

"The nutty flavor of the dip made from hyacinth bulbs made you feel moody and think of the past, and the salads made with chicory and mint had you believing that something good was about to happen, whether it was true or not."

Lemon-balm sorbet, fruit salad with dandelion petals mixed in, and mint chocolate mousse

"'I gave them lemon-balm sorbet in tulip cups. I put dandelion petals in the fruit salad, and mint leaves in the chocolate mousse'" to induce remorse and bring forth apologies.

Chicken and water chestnut casserole

"It was a chicken and water chestnut casserole made with the oil from snapdragon seeds. Snapdragons were meant to ward off the undue influences of others, hexes and spells and the like..."

Blueberry tart garnished with flower petals

"Bachelor's buttons. I'm going to sprinkle the blueberry tarts with their petals...[to] make people see sharper, helpful for finding things like misplaced keys and hidden agendas."

Turkey salad served in zucchini blossoms

"She set up a table on the front porch and served turkey salad in zucchini blossoms... and zucchini blossoms aided in understanding."

Soup and almond butter ginger jelly sandwiches

"'This isn't a crazy recipe. This is soup and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.' Sydney winked at Tyler. 'Almond butter and ginger jelly sandwiches.'"

Apples or apple butter

"'If you eat an apple from this tree you'll see the biggest event in your life.'""When she got home, she took the apples to the cook and told her to make apple butter."

Rose geranium spritzer or honeysuckle simple syrup cocktails (or just pick up some wine or rosé!)

"All his life, Fred had heard things about the Waverleys' rose geranium wine. It signaled in the drinker a return to happiness, remembering the good... And what meat did you serve with magic wine?""Honeysuckle wine served on the Fourth of July gave you the ability to see in the dark."

Color Scheme:

Floral patterns and bright colors, especially purple

"He was radiating those tiny purple snaps again."

Activities:

Have each guest bring a bouquet of one type of flower so everyone can arrange their own bouquet
Paint butterfly suncatchers

"...and now she was letting everything go, like butterflies released from a box."

Ambiance:

Light floral-scented candles, surround your space with flowers, or meet outdoors in a garden

"Everything bloomed here at once, even at a time of year when it wasn't supposed to."

Simple & Southern

"She was so southern that she cried tears that came straight from the Mississippi, and she always smelled faintly of cottonwood and peaches."

Menu:

Caprese salad and blackberry cornbread

"Sydney set down the sliced tomatoes and mozzarella and went to the door as Claire went ahead to the garden with the blackberry corn bread."

Olive sandwiches and sweet potato chips

"...she had already eaten the olive sandwich and sweet potato chips..."

Avocado and chicken wraps, fried peach pies, Cheetos, and Coke

"Claire had made avocado and chicken wraps and fried peach pies, and Sydney had packed Cheetos and Coke."

Lavender bread with herb butter

"Have some lavender bread. Bay and I have been eating on that last loaf there. There's some herb butter too."

Biscuits with jellies (lilac, mint), or a slaw or salad made with infused vinegars (chive blossom, nasturtium)

"...she had to deliver her end-of-the-month shipment of lilac and mint jellies and nasturtium and chive-blossom vinegars to the farmers' market..."

White cake and/or chocolate cupcakes

"'This is white cake, I made for you. Nothing weird in it, I promise.'""Claire was at the kitchen island making chocolate cupcakes for the Havershams, who lived four doors down. They were hosting their grandson's pirate-themed tenth birthday."

Cinnamon rolls

"Claire stayed up late to make her regular order of six dozen cinnamon buns, which she delivered early to the Coffee House on the square every Sunday morning."

Unexpected ice cream flavors or classic banana splits

"Sydney...discussed the choices of ice cream with her daughter. There was chocolate mint, strawberry rhubarb, caramel peach, and vanilla coffee.""'Why not make more ice cream and have banana splits?'"

Iced tea or coffee

"Claire poured Evanelle a glass of iced tea from the pitcher she'd brought outside.""Because your side of the Waverleys always wants to put something in everything. Bay leaves in bread, cinnamon in coffee. I like things plain and simple.""...she placed the lattes and iced coffees at the stations where some stylists were still working."

Color Scheme:

Earth tones and natural textures (ex. olive green with burlap)

Activities:

Have everyone share a cherished family recipe or memory of their grandparents/great-grandparents

Ambiance:

Light a peach or magnolia candle, play instrumental country music in the background

Waverly's Catering Event Menus

Anna Chapel's Spring Semester Dinner Party for the Art Department (Chapter 1)

"The menu tonight was salad, yucca soup, pork tenderloins stuffed with nasturtiums and chives and goat cheese, lemon-verbena sorbet between dishes, and the violet white cake for dessert."

Amateur Botanists Association's Annual Luncheon (Chapter 2)

"Being botanists, they liked the idea of edible flowers."

"'I'm helping Claire crystallize pansies to put on top of custard cups.'"

"'The dandelion quiche and the lavender bread were hers.'"

Ariel Matteson's Dinner Party for Emma (Chapter 5)

"'Gladioli here,' she said, 'where the nutmeg stuffing in the squash blossoms and the fennel chicken will be. Roses here, where the rose-petal scones will go.'"

"'I gave them lemon-balm sorbet in tulip cups. I put dandelion petals in the fruit salad, and mint leaves in the chocolate mousse.'"

The "Celebration of Claire's Deflowering" (Chapter 13)

"Sydney set down the sliced tomatoes and mozzarella and went to the door as Claire went ahead to the garden with the blackberry corn bread."

"...she didn't want to move, even to get up for a bottle of beer or cherry ginger ale from the aluminum tub of ice by the table."

Homemade Grocery Store Goodies

"Don't tell Claire, though. She'll try to make some herself."

Pop Tarts

"'Bay, do you like strawberry Pop-Tarts?' Claire asked."

Pizza Rolls

"'I'm going to make pizza rolls,' Claire said." "'You can buy them frozen, you know.'" "'I knew that,' Claire said. Then she whispered to Bay, 'Is that true?'"