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John Willoughby

Rose Petals

04.04.07

Okay, so I'll admit that, in this country, eating rose petals can seem a little affected, maybe even weird. And a lot of people who have eaten them find them too perfume-y, like the living room of an elderly lady in the 1950s. But you have to give them their due; rather than a novelty, they're actually a bona fide ingredient in North African and Middle Eastern cuisines. And if you've never tried them—or if, like me, you are a fan of their beautifully aromatic, mildly sweet flavor, with its subtle undertones of cinnamon and mint—have I got a product for you. Knowing of my fondness for the culinary virtues of roses, Zanne Stewart, our media food editor, brought me a jar of Tea-Rose Petal Jam from Harvest Song, a company that imports jams and compotes made from minimally processed fruit in Armenia. It's become my new favorite. A little bit gets spread over pork roasts during the last 20 minutes of cooking, a large dollop goes into the braising liquid for lamb shoulder, and (maybe best of all) just a teaspoon or so gets mixed into a small bowl of Greek yogurt every morning for breakfast. If you remember that, as with many other exotic ingredients, it's best to have a light hand, I predict you'll become a fan. I mean, come on—what's more romantic than roses for breakfast?

 
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Customers' Testimonials

We just purchased a few different jams of your line. Being from Austria, where we have Darbo and Staud's, naturally I was a bit skeptic about your apricot jam. Ehm, what can I say. We are blown away. The flavor gave me instant flashbacks when my mother would make jams at home. We love it, love it, love it.

H. Peter

At the “Wine Spectator” VIP event they were blown away by Harvest Song Tea-Rose Petal preserve.

Barrie Lynn, The Cheese Impresario

Your wonderful jam was a thank you gift given to me by a patient and I love it.

Dr. ES  New York City

Just recently I purchased a jar of your Apricot Preserves. They are delicious. I at first wondered if they were too expensive for me, but decided after tasting them at the market, I couldn't resist. And I wasn't sorry. They are so good. We had company stay with us, and served the preserves and they were very impressed too.Thanks for such good products.

Carol Murphy

Your preserves are a big hit, we use the Rose Petal on the Foie Gras and the others with the cheese course.

Carrie Nahabedian
Co-owner of NAHA Restaurant
Winner of James Beard Foundation 2008

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